Changed (Drarry)

Chapter 14

Harry wasn't sure when he had last slept that well, usually he would have a rather restless sleep if he could even fall asleep, and he had nightmares more often than not. Harry didn't remember when he had fallen asleep though, so he wasn't sure how much of what he remembered was a dream.

Did Ron really get mad at him for trying to defend Hermione having other friends? Did Malfoy really come find him in an empty classroom?

"Can't we do this any faster?" Harry heard Hermione's voice, she sounded stressed, but Harry had no idea what she was on about.

"He needs to be awake for this, otherwise it could cost him and us dearly." A voice Harry felt like he knew, but didn't have a name or face to match. It was a deep voice, that made Harry feel safe, the accent was definitely from the South of England, but Harry wouldn't be able to tell you where, exactly, it was from.

"Just be a little patient." Professor Lupin said, his tone firm as he presumably spoke to Hermione.

Harry woke up, jumping as he realised he had no idea where he was. He was in what looked like a very comfortable living room with warm purple chairs and pale green walls. Harry looked around to see that he was on a cream sofa. In the room was Professor Lupin, Hermione, Malfoy, and two people Harry had seen in pictures Hagrid had given him after his first year at Hogwarts, but that was impossible. His parents were supposed to be dead, how could they be here? Unless he was dead, but he was sure Hermione, Professor Lupin and Malfoy weren't dead.

"Harry! You're-" Malfoy said, looking relieved and happy after a moment of shock, holding out his hand towards Harry.

"Where am I? What the hell is going on?" Harry asked, reaching to his pocket only to realise his wand wasn't there, but on the table right next to Malfoy.

"It's okay Harry, you're at our house, Dumbledore cast some... unpleasant magic on you that we can remove, but you need to be conscious for it to work properly." The man who had spoken before that looked like James Potter but couldn't be said, looking at Harry with sadness in his eyes.

"Like hell I believe? Why would Dumbledore cast anything harmful on me? The most he would cast on me is protective charms." Harry argued, even if he knew that wasn't true. Dumbledore had always said that the protection of his mother was the strongest protection he could have so it wasn't worth giving him more, but Harry had to trust Dumbledore. It was him, after all, who had saved Harry from the Dursleys.

"It's true, Harry." Hermione said, seeming like she was having trouble making eye contact with Harry. "Dumbledore messed with our memories, and so have Ron and Percy. He did worse to you than me though."

"Hermione!" Harry said, rounding on her but feeling more hurt and betrayed than angry. "How can you side with them? What did they do to you?"

"Cho Li, the Ravenclaw I became friends with, reversed the spells put on me as they were all just on my memories. We're not even Gryffindors, and we really only became friends in second year." Hermione said, fiddling with her fingers, as she looked at Harry's fringe. "You couldn't be helped with the same spell though, because your changes were greater."

"What kind of changes?" Harry asked, in the end he trusted Hermione more, something about her just felt more genuine than anyone else, except maybe Fred and George.

"Our family have phoenix inheritances, and my mother's family had the thestral inheritance, you had already gone through it." The James lookalike said, taking a step towards Harry, who flinched back.

"Inheritance?" Harry asked, he assumed they weren't talking about the money people get after someone dies.

"Some old wizarding families used to find creatures more pure of blood than muggles, so the children they had together would eventually get the creature characteristics, over time this changed to sometimes require certain criteria." The woman who looked at Harry with tears in his eyes, looking so much like Lily it almost hurt, the James lookalike hurting less as Harry looked so much like him. Harry had never noticed before how similar Lily and Ginny looked.

"Do you have any evidence of all of this?" Harry asked, not making eye contact with anyone in the room, not even trying to look at any of them, finding his lap more interesting than normal.

"Here." Professor Lupin said, holding out a wizard photograph of Harry with a brighter smile than Harry usually wore, red and gold markings coming from his back to his cheek, it was in the Slytherin common room at what looked like Christmas, Professor Lupin and a man who Harry also felt a strong connection to stood behind Harry, Malfoy standing beside him, and Malfoy's parents off to the side with some other Slytherins Harry thought he had seen before there too.

"I'm sorry Harry, I know this is hard." Draco said, looking at Harry but keeping his distance slightly.

Harry couldn't help it, his shoulders shaking as his breathing became harder due to a lump in his throat, tears starting to form in his eyes. If he couldn't trust Dumbledore anymore, then who could he trust? How much of his life could he trust? He felt he had to trust the picture that smiled up at him, and he had lost the ones he had been given of the life he thought he had known because of the Dursleys.

"Hey, Harry, it's going to be okay, I promise." Draco said, sitting down next to Harry carefully, putting a gentle hand on Harry arm, hoping to comfort Harry.

"Harry," Hermione said taking the room's attention, even if Harry didn't look up at her. "Can James and Lily leave?"

"What?" Harry asked in a whisper, taken aback and not knowing what he was supposed to do with everything, especially not with the question added.

"Hermione." The Lily lookalike-... Lily... Said firmly, fixing Hermione with a glare.

"Harry, can Lily and James leave this island?" Hermione pushed, clutching the bottom of her robes in large, rough handfuls.

"Of course they can leave." Harry snapped, not noticing the small gasps that came from Lily and James as they felt a warmth pass over them. "They're adults they can do what they want, they don't need my permission."

"We should get started." James said, although the look he gave Hermione was cold. "Unless you need more time, Harry."

"N-no..." Harry said, taking a deep, shaky breath as he tried to calm himself down. Even if they were wrong and Dumbledore saved him from them, he looked so happy in that picture and he wanted that. "Let's do it."

"We'll talk later." Lily said darkly, her hand on Hermione's shoulder, Hermione looking like she had lost all the blood in her face as she nodded.

((A/N: Hello, hello everyone! Sorry this chapter took so long, I've started writing a new story (don't worry, old ones are still going to get written), but I don't know what to title it or do for the cover which is why it hasn't been uploaded. I hope you all liked this chapter!!! Love you all!!!!!))