Shiemi's notes: I'm so sorry this is coming so very late! Please forgive me! I had written my version months ago, but then my co-author had very hurt wrists and to make things worse, I've moved countries and just recently got my computer, but still don't have internet. Anyway, I've finally gotten this chapter back and here it is. I hope to get back to writing full force in a matter of days or weeks after I get settled in my new home. Thank you for your patience!
Song: 'Kounetsu Blood' by Kinya
Ch. 8: High Fever Blood
After having given his and Cho's parents a rather uncomfortable explanation, Draco left the Parish church with Harry. Draco's car was already in optimal condition, Draco having gotten it repaired several weeks ago. Harry had never asked what had happened to the car, and Draco was very relieved at his lover's lack of curiosity. He didn't want to delve into that story too far.
The trip was pleasant for both men, and when they arrived at Draco's flat, Draco made Harry change out of his clownish outfit. He changed into a pair of jeans, a canary yellow jumper, and a dark green button down, which he left open to show off the jumper underneath. As he was about to walk out of the room, his eyes fell on his private carry-on bag. He went to it removing the small key from the chain he wore around his neck, and opened the bag. Not sure why he was doing, but feeling safer for it all the same, Harry loaded his semi-automatic gun and grabbed a silencer, loading the items into a black, faux leather kit and strapping it to his right ankle. Harry spared a moment to wonder if he wasn't being over paranoid about Riddle, even though the man hadn't come for him, despite his face being plastered all over the media. He also wondered if perhaps Draco's sordid tale of killing people hadn't affected him more than he'd thought. Perhaps it had increased his own fear of being murdered, and that was why he'd taken the gun? Whatever the cause, Harry felt better for having the despised weapon near at hand. He finally left the bedroom to join Draco, who had been waiting for him in the wide living room.
Harry couldn't hide his happiness about possibly being back together with the man he loved. Although they had continued living together, their relationship had been awkward and dull over the past few weeks. Harry viewed Cho's betrayal of her family as a definite step in the right direction. "So?" he asked, excitement shining in his eyes. "What are we doing?"
"We'll just go have lunch, and then I have some things to buy," Draco replied in a bored tone, puffing on a cigarette.
"Is it a date?" Harry asked enthusiastically.
"No, it's just eating and shopping, brat."
Harry laughed delightedly at Draco's reply. Things were definitely back to normal, and he was more than happy to have his Draco back.
Both men boarded the lift, Harry watching Draco lovingly during their descent. He never got tired of simply admiring Draco Malfoy. He looked down with a sigh, saying suddenly, "I love you." He was most surprised when his quiet confession was answered with his chin being lifted by strong arms and a sensual kiss being placed on his lips. Strong arms encircled him possessively, and once the kiss ended, Harry relished in the musky scent that was purely Draco. As they exited the lift, Draco searched in his black coat's pockets for his car keys.
They had only walked a few paces in the car park when something passed them with a whine, moving fast and gouging a hole out of a strong concrete column that was right behind them. Harry's eyes went wide when he noticed this hole, and he knew at once what was happening. "Get down!" he yelled, throwing himself on Draco, bringing them both crashing to ground.
Draco didn't have to be a genius to realize that someone had just shot at them with a silencer equipped gun, ensuring that guards of the complex wouldn't be alerted to the danger. Harry and Draco crawled quickly behind the thick column as more shots whizzed passed them.
As fast as possible, Harry removed the gun from his ankle holster and fitted the silencer on it. The silencer had been specially made for him so that he could avoid drawing attention to himself during a shootout. He swallowed thickly, trying to take steady breaths, while looking carefully around the column to see where the shots were coming from. More shots were fired, and Harry quickly hid again to find that Draco was staring at him emotionlessly, not a trace of fear on his elegant features. Harry steeled his nerve, and then went back around the column, firing two shots in the attacker's direction before quickly hiding once more.
Another shot hit the column and then a snake-like voice spoke tauntingly. "Oh, how very amusing!" it cried. "And here I was, thinking it would be easy to finish you off! Little boys shouldn't wield guns, Harry James, but I'm glad you won't make this boring for me! You, unlike your stupid parents, will die with style!" A high, cackling laugh that sounded slightly insane followed these words.
Harry's eyes became like chiseled emeralds, but he didn't rise to this bait. He didn't look at Draco either. At that moment, his mind was focused solely on the situation at hand. He shot twice more at their attacker and whispered, mostly to himself, "Four. Nine left and then I have to reload."
"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" the voice taunted. "I'm too old for hide and seek, Harry James. I've often wondered what you would taste like. So far, only your pretty novelist…" Tom cackled again, before spitting out, "lover knows what you taste like. Although, I imagine he didn't get to taste your magnificent blood; that wonderful essence that flows through your veins, granting you the one thing I'm going to take away. I, Harry James, intend to taste that, and much more. I wonder if your youthful flesh will be more enjoyable than your fucking godfather's?" There was a long pause as Riddle waited for Harry to respond to this. When he didn't, Riddle said, "Did you get my gift, Harry James? Did you lick the blood from his severed neck? I even served it to you on a platter, with a note to explain things! Did you enjoy your meal?"
Harry was trembling, looking as though he would break down at any moment, but Draco placed a hand on his shoulder, startling him. When Harry turned to Draco, his eyes were unfocused, as though he'd forgotten Draco was there for a few seconds. A realization came to Harry then, clearing his fragile emotions: He couldn't break down now because he had to protect Draco. He snuck around the column and shot once before throwing himself on the ground. "You stay there!" he whispered to Draco. With that, Harry rolled across the car park, hiding under one of the parked cars. From this angle, Harry could see where Riddle was standing, and he started to quietly drag his body out from under the car.
Draco, understanding what Harry was up to, snuck a little way around the column, causing Riddle to think it was Harry again and fire another shot. Riddle hadn't noticed when Harry had thrown himself on the ground, and therefore believed he was still hiding behind the column, allowing Draco this opportunity to cause confusion.
Little by little, Harry snuck up behind the cars where Tom was positioned, but Tom was clever and realized he had been deceived, spotting Harry in time. He fired a shot at Harry, who returned fire before hiding behind a column closer to Tom. After a deep breath to fortify himself, Harry came back out from behind the column and fired all of his remaining bullets at Tom, managing to confuse him and even hit him in the arm. Tom screamed, fired one last time and fled the scene. Harry stayed silent and hidden for many long moments, his whole body trembling, before he finally crouched down and let himself cry.
A few minutes later, Draco appeared and hugged Harry close. "Let's forget about lunch for now," he said. "We are going to pack out things and leave, right now."
Harry lifted his head and stared at Draco in confusion, his lip still trembling slightly. "What?"
"You hear me," Draco said. "I was tired of that flat anyway. Too many paparazzi have been keeping an eye on the place ever since our affair became public. It'll be nice to move away and confuse all of them, don't you think? Come on, now. We shouldn't waste anymore time after what just happened." Harry nodded agreeably enough, but he still looked like a lost child, so Draco gently grabbed him by the arm and led him back up to the flat. Draco didn't even bother asking Harry to help pack. He packed everything he thought they might need himself, barely noticing that Harry had a new plushie that looked just like the one Sirius Black owned.
Soon enough, Draco had everything in the boot of his car, and Harry safely in the passenger seat. Harry was holding his weapon when Draco started driving. Harry continued crying quietly to himself as Draco drove, and eventually Draco stopped in the car park of a fast food restaurant. "Let's get something to eat," he suggested. "It'll make you feel better."
Harry shook his head, looking straight out of the windshield, but not appearing to see what was there.
"You should eat," Draco prodded gently, taking the gun from Harry's hands. "Come." He stashed the gun back in Harry's ankle holster and helped Harry out of the car and into the restaurant, where he ordered both of their lunches.
"S-stop that," Harry said when Draco almost started to hand feed him.
"If you don't start eating it yourself, then I'll keep stuffing the fries into your mouth," Draco snapped off, bringing a weak smile to Harry's face. "That's much better," Draco said with satisfaction. "But of course, I do expect an explanation about what happened back there."
Harry lowered his head. "You might leave me forever if I tell you everything," he murmured quietly, playing with the straw in his fizzy drink.
"Enlighten me!" Draco cried, throwing his arms up. "Put me to the test and we'll see. Now talk." His voice was almost dry.
Harry looked around and saw that everyone in the restaurant was engaged in conversations of their own and unlikely to listen in. Still, he spoke as softly as he could. "My parents were politicians," he started. "I don't remember them, but I've been told about it. My father was a Member of Parliament; a Duke on the House of Lords." Draco started to choke on his burger, interrupting Harry's chain of thought. "Are you all right?" he asked with concern. Draco continued to choke, so Harry moved the other side of the table and pounded the blonde on the back, causing him to spit out his food.
"That's not how you save someone from chocking, brat!" Draco said after he got his breath back.
"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Harry said as he nervously re-took his seat.
Draco waved his hand dismissively. "Are you telling me that you're entitled to a seat in the House of Lords?" he whispered incredulously.
Harry looked very uncomfortable. "Well, actually… yes," he said. "Sometimes you don't gain that right automatically, but my case, yes."
Draco put his hands over his head and lowered it. "Fucking hell," he muttered. "What the hell did your father do to get himself killed?"
"Well, first off, he married Mum, who had just been elected to the House of Commons," Harry replied, still whispering, and casting his eyes around the restaurant furtively. "Apparently, Mum was very influential in the House of Commons, bringing in some of her great ideals. She influenced my dad to bring those same ideals to the House of Lords. I don't know much about what the ideals were, but it seems that they would have helped the people, but only at great cost to the government if they were ever put into action. Whatever the ideas were, it cost them their lives. Mum got pregnant with me on her honeymoon, and by the time she and Dad were murdered, she hadn't yet completed her five years as an MP, that's a Member of Parliament. It appears that someone from Parliament with unusual connections hired an assassin named Tom Riddle to wipe the Potters out. Understand me, they didn't just want my parents dead, they wanted the whole Potter line wiped out. Fortunately, the day that Riddle went after my parents, they had left me with my grandparents so they could enjoy some alone time. I was only a year old. As soon as they found out my parents had been killed, my godfather came and took custody of me, and hid me away. Tom went after both sets of my grandparents looking for me, and wiped them out too in his rage. When I was fifteen, Tom resurfaced and killed my godfather. To this day, Tom is still looking for me because he cannot allow me to reach the age of twenty-one."
"Because at that age you can claim your seat in the House of Lords," Draco finished the unfinished thought.
"Exactly," Harry agreed. "They don't want me resurrecting my parents' noble ideas and plans. Someone out there is afraid of what I might do if I ever sit on Parliament."
"And do you plan to?" Draco asked.
Harry was shaking his head before Draco even finished speaking. "I'm planning to forfeit my title when I turn twenty-one. I'm a singer, not a politician, and I'm certainly not a Duke!" He sighed. "Anyway, if I tell the world before then that I plan to forfeit my title, they'd only laugh at me and tell me to make that decision when I come of age. Until then, I have a madman hunting for my blood so that the Potter seat can disappear. Unfortunately, there's another man who badly wishes for me to replace my father and believes, however many times I've told him differently, that I will do so. He protects me at all costs."
"Who?"
"Albus Dumbledore, my lawyer and the leader of the Phoenix Secret Agency, which is somehow connected to the British Army."
"You are in the deepest shit hole I've ever heard of in my entire life," Draco commented. "Tom Riddle… That name sounds familiar somehow." His brow furrowed slightly.
"He belongs to a band of assassins called The Death Eaters. Apparently, he's their leader."
Draco paled at the name of the group, but Harry didn't notice. Draco had just realized why he knew the name Tom Riddle. His mentor, the man who had betrayed him when he was sixteen, Rodolphus Lestrange, had mentioned Tom Riddle several times. He had always said that Tom was his very best friend and the man he most admired. Draco was plagued by memories of how he had fallen for Rodolphus and how Rodolphus had in turn toyed with his affections and…
"Draco?" Harry asked with concern. "Are you all right?"
Rather than reply, Draco got out of his seat and went to the lavatory, where he lost his lunch in the toilet. He didn't want to remember these things. He never wanted to think of these things again, but somehow Harry kept bringing those buried memories to the surface. Draco couldn't tell Harry that he'd been brought to believe that Tom Riddle was a great person. Rodolphus had even introduced them once, and Riddle had spoken at great length about their noble organization called the Death Eaters. The Death Eaters were supposed to be a Justice League that eliminated bad people. At the age of fifteen, Draco had honestly believed that there were bad people who had to be eradicated in order to create a better world. He could remember Rodolphus telling him that the hero, Tom Riddle, had, years before, eliminated a couple of politicians who were causing problems for the English Parliament. Draco had agreed then, saying that politicians were a plague and the root of many of society's evils. Now Draco knew the truth; that those politicians had been Harry's parents and he didn't know how he would ever be able to look in Harry's beautiful emerald eyes again. He felt sick to his core; like the foulest human to ever disgrace the Earth.
When Draco returned to the table, Harry was eyeing him nervously. "Draco?" he asked.
"Let's get out of here," Draco said, trying to sound composed.
"S-sure," Harry agreed quickly, taking the trays to the nearest bin. As they left the restaurant, Harry kept glancing at Draco nervously.
"We have to look for a new place now, remember?" Draco said, trying to lighten the mood.
"I- I remember," Harry stammered. "But why won't you look at me? Do you want to get rid of me now?"
"Don't be so stupid!" Draco snapped, causing Harry to wince. "Just get in the car!"
Harry knew there was something terribly wrong with Draco, but couldn't figure out what. Something he had said had upset the novelist big time, and Harry only wished that Draco would be honest and tell him what was wrong.
Draco used his cell phone to make a call while he drove. "Oliver?" he said. "I need a new flat and I need to move into it tonight. Is it possible?" Draco listened for a moment and then smirked. "Yes, I can be terrible sometimes, but you are the one with all of the connections." He listened again before laughing lightly. "Can you tell me the address again?" Draco rolled his eyes after a moment. "I'm driving, so obviously I can't write it down." As he talked, Draco motioned for Harry to look in the glove compartment. Harry pulled out a notebook and took the pen Draco was waving impatiently in his direction. "I'll pass the mobile to Harry so he can jot down the address." He looked annoyed. "Yes, Harry's here. I'm passing him the phone now."
Harry took the cell phone and quickly wrote the address Mr. Wood told him. After that, Wood ended the call and Harry pressed END before giving the phone back to Draco, who promptly slipped it onto the dashboard clip he had for it.
A little while later, they were checking out the new flat and bringing their belongings inside. It was even bigger than the last one had been, with two bedrooms and a very large room that Draco could use for an office. Draco wondered if Oliver had chosen a flat with two very spacious bedrooms on purpose. What kind of man did Oliver think Draco was? Did he believe that Draco would fuck his lover every single night and so had gotten two bedrooms to keep them separated so that wouldn't happen?
Harry seemed happy with it. The new flat was comfortable enough and there was no restricted access to the complex. He also liked that it was closer to the G-P building, which would make his trek to the studio less stressful. In a very joyful mood, Harry went to Draco, who was moving his things into the bedroom. "Draco, I think I'll just head down to the G-P building for a bit. I want to know when our single is going to hit the market!"
"All right," Draco replied. "Just go." Draco was actually rather relieved that Harry would be gone for a while; it would give him time to relax. He let Harry give him a quick peck on the lips and watched the teen leave. He then dropped himself onto the bed, but a voice startled him.
"Welcome to your new flat! Do you like it?"
Draco quickly sat up and look in the direction the voice was coming from. "Oliver? When did you…? What are you doing here?" he asked in surprise.
"I was hiding!" Oliver said with a mischievous smile. "Just saw Potter leave! He seems very enthusiastic about his debut single finally hitting the market." His smile dissolved into a concerned frown. "I have to say, Draco, you don't look so hot. Are you all right?"
Draco hesitated before deciding to tell Oliver a bit of what had happened. "This… this morning I told Harry a bit of what I've done in my past, but not why I did those things."
Oliver's concern was evident. "How did he take it?"
Draco sighed heavily. "It doesn't matter what I say to him, or do to him, or what I've done in my past. I can be as cold and cruel to him as I know how to be, and still he wants to remain by my side. Oliver… he keeps making me remember. I didn't want to remember. I didn't—" He cut himself off abruptly as his body began trembling. Oliver sat next to him on the bed and held him.
"Zabini will pay for what he's done," Oliver muttered darkly.
Draco looked at him curiously. "What are you on about?"
"It's obvious that Harry wasn't the only one affected by what Zabini did to him. It's brought all of your past demons back to you. Zabini will pay very dearly indeed."
Draco lowered his head to his brother-in-law's chest and remained silent. He didn't want to tell Oliver that it was more than just what Zabini did. He couldn't tell him, at least not yet.
XxXxX
When Harry entered the lobby in the G-P building, he found Ron and Hermione already there with Neville Longbottom and K. After his date with Cho, Ron had quickly gone to the building and the small group was now waiting for Harry.
"What's up?" Harry asked cheerfully.
"You!" Hermione exclaimed angrily, pointing a finger at him. "So you finally decided to grace us with your presence? Do you have any idea what time it is? We have an interview to promote our debut single at 4:30 this afternoon! You have got to buy a mobile, you immature—" Ron covered Hermione's mouth with his hand.
"We have to be quick!" Neville cried, ushering his band down the corridor. "Come on!"
"Debut single! Debut single!" Harry sing-songed as he hopped along behind his band mates, manager and producer, bouncing around like a bunny rabbit.
Seated around a nearby table in the same lobby were Blaise Zabini, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle. Although they had mostly recovered from their wounds, Zabini still had his arm in a sling. As he saw Harry and company exiting the G-P building, Zabini's features hardened. "How can he possibly be happy?" he snarled angrily. "Just what kind of demon is he, anyway? He's supposed to be broken, damn it! He's supposed to feel miserable and alone, not joyous! Didn't he sustain any psychological damage after what I did to him?"
"Blaise, calm down!" Crabbe said quickly. "Just forget it, man! Leave things alone! They haven't done anything to us, so why should we keep doing things to them? Let's just compete and show them who's best!"
"Vince is right, Blaise," Goyle agreed. "Just give it up. It's almost like you're obsessed with Potter, and that can't be healthy."
"He's making me look like a loser and I won't accept it!" Blaise yelled, standing up so quickly his chair toppled over.
XxXxXBad Wizards was in the middle of an interview promoting their debut single when there was a disturbance at the door. Several security guards were trying to keep a desperate looking Vincent Crabbe away from the interview. The young man fought his way past the guards and quickly approached the band members. The interviewer looked rather taken aback, but fortunately it wasn't a live interview.
"Potter!" Crabbe exclaimed when he reached them. "You have to do something, quick! Blaise has gone mad and he's going to Malfoy's flat! He got Malfoy's new address from G-P's system! Please stop him, he might do something crazy!"
In seconds, Harry was out of his seat and running out of the studio, Ron, Hermione, K, and Neville calling out for him to come back. He ignored them, running as fast as he could and getting in the first available taxi. He gave the address to the driver, having memorized it as soon as they'd moved in earlier in the day.
Draco let an infuriated Blaise Zabini into the flat after having heard the doorbell ringing rather insistently. Blaise pushed Draco into the flat and slammed him against a wall without waiting to be invited inside.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Zabini?" Draco asked in a bored tone.
"I'm going to destroy you and Potter, no matter what it takes!" Blaise screamed.
"Oh?" Draco asked casually, pinning Blaise with his killer stare. "And just how do you plan to accomplish that?"
Blaise shivered slightly. "You've killed someone before, haven't you?"
"And what will you do if I say yes, Zabini?" Draco mocked.
Blaise attempted to look menacing. "I don't care who you've killed!" he exclaimed, looking quite deranged. "I'll destroy you anyway! I'll ruin both of you!"
Harry arrived then, seeing Blaise holding Draco pinned to the wall and Draco doing nothing about it. Overcome with rage, Harry dragged Blaise back by his collar, violently sending him to the floor. Harry then straddled Blaise and began punching him hard in the face. "Don't you dare touch my Draco!" he shouted.
Draco rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here, brat?"
"I came to rescue you!" Harry exclaimed, looking over his shoulder at his lover.
Draco raised an eyebrow, smirking in amusement. "Have you forgotten that I never need to be rescued?"
Harry stood up, looking slightly embarrassed.
"I'll see both of you broken and miserable!" Blaise cried, stumbling back into a standing position. "I'll see you hurt and ruined!"
Harry looked on Blaise with sad eyes. "I really pity you if the only thing that that would make you happy is to see others suffering," he said softly.
Blaise couldn't believe Potter's audacity. He was the one that was supposed to be broken and miserable. He was the one deserving of pity. Not knowing what to do, and feeling desperate and stupid because of his actions, Blaise fled the flat, not looking back at the two inside. Now he looked like an even bigger loser to the two lovers. He drove back to his own flat miserably, only to find Oliver Wood standing in front of his building. He was suddenly flooded with trepidation. "Mr. Wood?" he asked hesitantly.
"Hello, Mr. Zabini!" Oliver said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I've brought you the termination papers for Slytherin. You may, of course, continue singing, but Griffin Power will no longer sponsor you. You may feel free to find another company, but don't expect my recommendation."
"But why?" Blaise asked, appalled.
"You did this to yourself the moment you decided to mess with my little brother-in-law, Draco Malfoy. Did you forget?" Oliver asked at seeing Blaise's astonished look. "My wife, Pansy, is Draco's older sister and no one messes with my family."
Blaise fell to his knees. He'd conveniently forgotten that very important detail, so wrapped up he'd been in his revenge.
After Blaise had gone, Draco mutely dropped onto the soft purple sofa that had come with the new flat. Harry immediately approached him, looking worried. "What's wrong, Draco?" he asked gently. "Did he hurt you? I know you say that you don't need to be rescued, but you look awful! What did he do to you?"
Harry reached out to touch Draco's left cheek, but Draco caught his wrist. "You're the one he hurt!" he snarled angrily. "You're the one to whom he did horrible things, not me!"
Harry's bright green eyes clouded over with tears and he began to tremble. "But I'm fine now," he said with a quivering voice. "See? It… it doesn't hurt as much as before. I'm perfectly—"
Draco gently placed his fingers on Harry's lips to silence him. "Everything that has happened to you has been my fault," he said, beginning to cry softly. "You were beaten and raped because of me. I'm responsible for bestowing upon you the same terrible things I went through. Now, you're the same as me."
Harry looked terrified as he watched Draco break down into sobs for the first time in his memory, but at the same time, memories of that night started to wash over him and he screamed, sinking down to his knees in front of Draco.
Draco ignored this and continued speaking through his tears. "Rodolphus betrayed me and I'm afraid that I'm going to go through the same things all over again. Rodolphus had five men rape me before he raped me himself. It was his way of telling me that he would never return my feelings because he had a wife who he'd never mentioned before that night. He was planning to kill me after it was all over, but I took the gun from him after they'd finished torturing me and I killed them all. I killed the man I loved and admired and the five punks he'd hired to hurt me."
Draco suddenly slid from the sofa, kneeling next to Harry, and pulled him into a strong embrace. The two lovers cried together for a very long time until their tears had finally dried.
A little while later, Harry was in yet another happy swing and Draco was slumped on his chest on the sofa, his face hidden between his arms. He'd been that way for some time and Harry started rubbing his back in an attempt to comfort him. "It's all right now," he muttered soothingly. "Everything will be fine, you'll see. No one will hurt you, Draco. I'll always be here to protect you and I swear that I'll never betray you."
Harry winced when Draco suddenly blurted, "Oh, will you shut up! Your sappiness is giving me a headache and your voice is driving me mad!"
"Huh?" Harry said blankly. "Hey, I know that might sound cheesy, but I was trying to cheer you up, you bastard!" He shook his fist at Draco to prove his point.
"Just be quiet!" Draco snapped irritably. "I haven't cried like that in over six years! It's made my head pound!" In a quiet voice he added, "I want to relish in the feeling of having cried like this…"
"Over six years?" Harry asked incredulously, ignoring the last bit. "You really are tough! Me? I think I cry at least three times every single week! It's like you have this really dark past! Hey wait, you do have a dark past!" He chuckled nervously. Draco lifted his head from his arms and smiled at seeing Harry looking almost cheerful again.
That night, Harry and Draco had a simple dinner before lying in bed together. They weren't intimate, but they ended up sleeping entangled in each other's arms.
XxXxX
A few days later, Oliver Wood was meeting with a dark skinned beauty named Angelina Johnson and the ex-singer, Sirius Black. Up until three years ago, they had been known as Griffin Power, which is where G-P Enterprises had gotten its name. Without Slytherins, G-P needed another band, and ever since Sirius had met Harry and heard him singing, he'd once again been infected with the desire to express himself through melodious words. Due to Sirius' strong desire to begin singing again, together with the loss of Slytherins, Oliver decided that Griffin Power was going to return full force.
Sirius was bursting with joy as he hugged Kiki, causing Angelina to burst out laughing. Oliver liked seeing both of his friends so happy. Things could definitely work out and on that same day, he made an announcement at a Press Conference on live TV.
"Today, I speak to you, not as the president of G-P Enterprises, but as Oliver Wood, a member of Griffin Power. Many have asked me about what led me to dismiss Slytherins from our label, but unfortunately, some things should remain buried and unspoken. I will say that my reasons were powerful ones, but I wish Slytherins luck in all their future works. I know that, with another company, they will go far. On the other hand, dismissing Slytherins left G-P short one band. Due to this, Griffin Power will return to fill the gap left by such a promising band as Slytherins. We do hope that our devoted fans will accept us once again. This may seem sudden and unexpected, but we have already recorded our come back single and it will be available for sale very soon. Thank you."
Harry, K, Hermione, and Ron were all shocked as they listened to Oliver speaking. Ron even asked, "How did they record a single so fast? Did you know your cousin was putting Griffin Power together again?"
Hermione, who was still looking dazed, shook her head. Meanwhile, Harry had begun dancing happily around the room. "I'll be listening to Sirius again! Griffin Power is coming back! Yay! Woo hoo!"
"That's the only news you'll get today," K interrupted, not looking very enthusiastic, but getting the attention of the three members of Bad Wizards. "You'll be singing on Music Crash Stage."
"Music Crash Stage?" Ron, Hermione and Harry asked at once.
Harry was overflowing with joy. "The show where Griffin Power was interviewed and performed so many times? Yes!" He began dancing about again, punching the air in happiness.
"But you won't be the star guests," a voice interrupted. "Griffin Power will the special guests, and you'll be there to lick our shoes." The young woman who'd spoken winked at them. She was wearing a very short black halter-top that showed off some impressive cleavage. Her tiny waist was exposed and she was wearing very tight blue jeans.
"A-Angelina?" K stuttered, looking horrified. "What are you talking about?"
"Of course it's me, K, silly!" Angelina giggled. "All I'm saying is that you guys are going to be the opening act for us!" She gave an almost evil laugh as she jab her thumb into her chest.
"That can't be!" K retorted, sounding slightly angry. "I spoke to the show's director personally and he assured me that Bad Wizards would be the headliner!"
"Not anymore!" Angelina sing-songed. "Oliver has more power than you, so when he asked, they switched the headliner. Sorry!"
"How can Wood do this to me?" K whined.
Just then, Sirius Black entered the room with Kiki in his arms. He had just heard the last of what K had said. "It's not Ollie's fault!" he exclaimed in Wood's defense. "I told him that I wished we could perform with Bad Wizards. I want to sing with Harry!" He hugged his favorite plushed toy cheerfully as he said the last.
"So you're the evil puppet Master," K said with a smirk.
"Don't you say things like that about Sirius!" Angelina snapped. "The only evil person here is you! You kidnapped Sirius three years ago and made him go on a solo tour in the U.S., forcing Griffin Power apart with your atrocities! You used Sirius all you wanted until you got bored, and then replaced him with a young boy! Is it because Sirius is older now, hmm K? You really are a perverted old man!" She caressed Sirius' face tenderly. "Poor Siri!"
"Hey!" K cried indignantly. "Just what kind of indecent nonsense are you spouting!"
Sirius blinked in confusion. "Did you use me, K?" he asked uncertainly. "When? How?" He smiled brightly in the next moment. "Will we sing together, Harry?"
"Er… I suppose," Harry said hesitantly, feeling a strange sort of uneasiness he didn't quite understand.
XxXxX
Neville dropped his cup in shock, the coffee from it seeping into the blood red carpet in Oliver Wood's office. He was shocked because Oliver had just told him that Griffin Power was getting back together.
"You mean you didn't see my public announcement?" Oliver asked gently. "I'm sorry I forgot to mention it to you, Mr. Longbottom.
Neville shook his head in dismay, bending to clean up the mess he'd made.
"Don't worry about that," Oliver said dismissively. "One of the janitors can get it later." He smiled kindly. "Anyway, you know what this means. From this point forward, you're no longer just a producer working for me. We are rival producers, working to make our respective bands the best and the most well known in the business. I will be dividing my time with playing in Griffin Power and producing our music. I do hope that you'll make Bad Wizards give us a hard time." To Neville's utter astonishment, Oliver sounded completely sincere. "Sirius was moved when he heard your young Mr. Potter singing, and I've accepted that I was moved too. His talent is what prompted me to bring Griffin Power back together instead of trying to find a new band to replace Slytherins. Mr. Longbottom, I will make sure that Griffin Power is once again the number one band in the United Kingdom, though I think you will attempt to do the same for Bad Wizards. What do you say?"
Neville's brown eyes hardened and he nodded.
XxXxX
Harry was immersed in his own little world back in his flat. Draco came out of his new, overly spacious office sipping a cup of tea and wearing glasses. His eyes fell on Harry. "It's unusual to see you so quiet," he commented, in a tone that was unusually gentle. "What happened?"
"Griffin Power is back together," Harry replied in a small voice.
"Scared?"
"A little," Harry admitted reluctantly.
Draco walked towards Harry and sat down next to him on the sofa. "You must understand that, even though they were your idols, they are now your rivals. Sirius Black will be your rival in singing, and you must learn to think of him as such. Are you afraid that your voice isn't good enough?"
Harry, who hadn't looked up from the floor once, drew his knees to his chest, wrapped his arms around them, and didn't answer.
"Listen to me, Harry," Draco went on. "Yes, Sirius is a professional, but even though you are just starting out, you, too, are a professional. I may not be an expert when it comes to music, but I can always provide my honest opinion."
Harry's bright green eyes lifted and locked onto to Draco's.
"Your voice has much more of an impact on me than Sirius'," Draco went on, encouraged. "Remember that." He returned to his office then, intent on finishing the new chapter of the novel he was working on. As he stared at the screen, memories of a young boy in love swam before his eyes. He could hear the boy yelling, "Rodie! Rodie!" It was the nickname he had given Rodolphus Lestrange. Draco abruptly pushed a stack of books off of his desk, angry with himself for being unable to forget these things. A picture fluttered to the floor and landed face up. It showed younger-Draco and Rodolphus smiling at the camera. He stared at the picture for a long moment, and then buried his face in his hands, unable to type anymore.
XxXxX
The day of the show arrived to find Harry a little nervous as he got ready. He was dressed in tight black leather trousers, a spandex long sleeved black shirt and an open sparkling white sleeveless coat that clashed with the blackness of the tight clothing underneath. His head was adorned with a pair of goggles as white as his coat. He'd adopted the goggles as part of his style when he was still rather young, due to him having worn spectacles as a boy. Of course, now he wore the goggles perched on top of his head, rather than over his eyes.
Ron was dressed with a long sleeved black, buttoned shirt with most of the buttons open showing off his pale, hairless chest, and long black trousers. Hermione was dressed in a long sleeved, white, buttoned shirt with a dark brown tie around her neck and a dark blue suit like jacket over the shirt. She also wore dark blue trousers and a dark blue hat over her mane of short wavy brown hair.
Sirius arrived with Oliver and Angelina in a dark red long sleeved shirt that was completely open and dark brown leather trousers. He quickly approached Harry and said, "Let's do our best!" Harry made a thumbs up sign and soon the show started with interviews of both singers and their band mates.
After the interviews, in which the singers revealed their favorite foods, pastimes, and other trivial things that fans adored; along with how Griffin Power had released their comeback single and Bad Wizards' single had been on hold, but to be released sometime soon, it was Bad Wizards' time to sing. They got ready on stage and Ron and Hermione started to play the main song of their first not yet released single, 'The Rage Beat'. Harry commenced singing, his features changing completely as he concentrated on the song, putting everything he could into it. His spirit merged with the music and by the time the song was over and it was time for a commercial break Sirius came running and grabbed Harry's hands. "You are so great! You really have to give me your autograph!"
"Eh? Are you serious?" Harry asked in surprise.
"Well, of course it's me, Sirius! Please?"
Harry looked confused all of a sudden, but said, "What I meant was that you are the best! How can you want my autograph?"
"You don't want to give it to me?" Sirius asked looking on the verge of tears and Angelina grabbed him by the shirt.
"Stop being silly, Siri!" she cried. "We're next, you know!"
Hermione looked baffled and stared at Ron and the redhead said, "Sometimes I wonder if they are related somehow. It's impossible not to think that they might be at least distant relatives."
Harry suddenly started to jump. "Did you see? Sirius says we are friends! We are friends!"
Hermione feigned crying at seeing Harry acting like that and Ron patted her back.
Ron approached K and Neville with a worried expression. He had just learned, along with the others, that Griffin Power's single, 'Sleepless Beauty', had been released and had already sold 2,000,000 copies. He couldn't help thinking that Mr. Wood was abusing his rank as G-P president and had hindered Bad Wizards' single to push Griffin Power's. "K, how come our single is on hold? What is he playing at? Our single was recorded first!"
"Things are not as they seem, Mr. Weasley," K said with a frown.
"Mr. Wood is a noble man, Mr. Weasley," Neville intervened. "If Bad Wizards' single had been launched before Griffin Power's, your single would have been overshadowed. As strange as it may seem, Mr. Wood is doing us a favor because he can't allow one of his bands to not sell well. With Griffin Power's single hitting the market first, It will give yours more of an impact by coming after Griffin Power's boom. The competition will be more even without them as a shadow over you guys."
Ron nodded. "I think I understand what you mean. Hope it works."
We hope so too," said K expressionlessly. He knew that the chances of Bad Wizards selling as great as Griffin Power were small, but it was true that Mr. Wood knew what he was doing. If Bad Wizards' single had already been on sale, making Griffin Power's single come afterwards would have really destroyed their selling by giving a chance to the well-known band that was making a comeback.
Griffin Power got ready on stage because it was their turn to sing. Sirius still looked childish as he waved at Harry from the stage and winked. Then it was time and the program was back on track. Angelina and Oliver started playing on their synthesizers and Sirius transformed. Even his eyes, which had previously looked like big light brown orbs, became long and almost slanted as his features settled in concentration. He started to sing powerfully, pouring his heart and soul into the song. Unlike Harry's childlike and clumsy movements on stage as he sang, Sirius' movements were refined and flawless. One of the things that had made Griffin Power so famous had been the way Sirius shone when he sang. It was like he and the music were one and that inevitably created a huge impact on fans.
Hermione watched the ability of Griffin Power in awe while Ron blanched and gaped. All the people in the studio seemed hypnotized with Sirius' singing and Harry paled as he watched and listened to his idol once again. Memories of his childhood started to pour into his mind. Harry saw himself with Ron when they were only eleven years old, listening to Griffin Power or watching their concerts, either in Ron's crowded house or in his godfather's house. Harry then saw how he was heartbroken when Griffin Power split when he was only fifteen. He started to speak in his mind.
'I was ten years old when Griffin Power started. Ever since I listened to Sirius Black singing for the first time in my life, I knew I wanted to be a singer. His singing always enthralled me, and I could feel his voice reaching into my heart. I remember I started to teach myself music and Remus bought me my first keyboard. I started trying to compose lyrics then, but Sirius' music heavily influenced mine. I had to search for my own style.
'When I started in Junior High, I met Ron and we immediately clicked. We became best friends and our love for music brought us together even more. We both adored Griffin Power. Ron showed great ability with guitars in school and our music teacher tutored him, but Ron mostly taught himself, just like me. I was no ace on the keyboards as Ron was with his guitar, but my keyboard was useful to write music and I dedicated long hours to it.
'Sirius Black was always my idol and now that I see him singing today I can recognize that fact even more. I wanted so much to become a singer, but I never visualized myself competing with my idol. I think part of the problem is that Sirius is still my idol. Nothing can change that and now I feel like dust in comparison to him. Here I was thinking that I had given an astounding performance, but now I see myself being bested by my own idol. I must be lacking in something, and I wonder if I will ever find it. But now, now I don't see myself as surpassing Sirius in any way and it hurts. It hurts too much since I don't want him to be my rival.'
Harry felt his mind clouding as he remembered that only days after Griffin Power had announced to the public that they were separating, Remus Lupin had died. Harry remembered Remus' head on the plate with a note that read, 'Enjoy the meal, Harry James.' He also remembered all the blood everywhere and how he started to scream. Remus' hands were in the bathroom, the feet were in the sink in the kitchen, the arms were on Harry's bed while the torso had been neatly placed on Remus' pillow. Memories of five men tearing him apart also invaded his mind and Harry felt himself fading in the middle of Sirius' song, as with those images came the shootout from previous days along with the way Draco ignored him for some time even if things were alright now. The hurt of everything put together tore through his very own soul. His eyes glazed and he lost his balance not knowing what was happening around him anymore.
Sirius was finishing his song when his eyes fell on Harry falling backwards. Just then, the song finished and the camera men hadn't even stopped filming when Sirius jumped from the stage and ran towards Harry, shouting Harry's name. Ron and Hermione were doing the same, but Sirius somehow managed to get to Harry before them. He kept screaming Harry's name as he tried to make Harry react.