Broken Glass

6. Facing the Truth

12th September 2018

Dear Gin,

I feel like things are spiralling out of control here. I shouldn't have moved out of the cottage, not yet. I needed to. I needed to take the week off work too. It was foolish because now people are asking questions. Mione and Ron, and I saw Bill too. And I've ended up contacting George because there's a Troghog breeding orgy at Grimmauld Place. Of course, your mum has been keeping an eye on the cottage and wondering where I was and now Ted is involved because he had to temporarily leave his halls while they dealt with an Erkling infestation.

I hate this. I hate not being in control and I don't know what to do.

Hope all is faring better with you.

Harry x

***

Royston was willing to accommodate Harry despite the state of the house. The bathrooms had all been refitted, the kitchen was nearly done, and he promised to finish the master bedroom by Saturday so Harry could move in. Harry had managed to avoid Dray for two days but he wanted out of the manor, it felt like the tension from his mistake hovered in the corners of every room worse than the curses that Voldemort and the ancient Malfoys had left lingering in the mansion.

He wasn't sleeping, he could barely eat. He was so angry with Dray for using him and frustrated with himself for succumbing to his urges and for ruining his friendship with Dray. He shouldn't have done it and now Ted was following him around like a puppy and Mione was hassling him too, wanting to know what was going on. It appeared that Teddy had been to see Mione because he was worried about the change in atmosphere between Harry and Draco; that Harry refused to be in the same room and Draco looked pale and ill. Both were horribly silent.

Harry wanted to scream at them all and tell them to leave him alone.

Instead, he sighed and said nothing, exercised, went to work, called in on Grimmauld Place, got Teddy back into his Halls, ate out.

On the second night after the 'massage' incident, Harry got back to find a note stuck to his door. It read: Ginny has fire-called twice, you can return the call on this address from the Floo in your room...

Harry gulped, uncertain how she'd found out where he was staying but he closed the door quietly, went to the fireplace and threw the call powder on the flames. They turned green and he stuck his head into the fire.

'Gin?' he said as a room swung into view, it looked like a fairly rudimentary beach hut with an open fire in the corner of the room facing a bed with a mosquito net and a small table and chair.

'Harry!' she rushed over and crouched beside the fireplace. 'Are you okay? You look different.'

'I had a haircut.'

'It looks good, more... you.'

'Thanks, I think.'

'Mione contacted me. She's worried.'

'When isn't she?'

'Are you looking after yourself? You look thinner.'

'I started training again...'

'Oh,' she said. 'Is it because of him?'

'Who?' Harry said, confused.

'Oh, Harry. Don't bother lying to me. You're already living in his bloody house. Are you doing this for him?'

'I don't know what you mean. And I'm moving out on tomorrow.'

She sighed. 'For how many years has there been something between you and Malfoy?'