Black Truth [READ DESCRIPTION]

chapter twenty-six

Chapter Twenty-Six: Eye of Newt and Slips of Yew

Harry couldn't contain a smirk rivaling Draco's patented one when the Daily Prophet belatedly began to report the attacks. By now it was obvious that they were Death Eater attacks. One of the more recent ones had been the destruction of a small muggle town and the Dark Mark had been prominent in the sky. No one could pretend now, that they were just freak accidents or technical malfunctions, at least not in the Wizarding World. Still, as the number of attacks grew, the students began to get visibly tense and edgy. Parents began writing more often, just to check that their son or daughter was safe and to say that they themselves were safe. Whispers in the halls about the attacks became louder as students wondered whose family would be the first to be attacked.

Draco woke to a strange numb sensation in his left leg and realized that he couldn't feel anything lower than his thigh. Blinking blearily in the dim light, he attempted to sit up only to find that he couldn't move much in that way either. The cause of this was the other person in the bed, who was still sleeping soundly, his arms wrapped around Draco's torso and his legs wrapped around Draco's left leg.

"Potter," Draco gently pushed Harry. No reaction. "Harry." He tried again.

Harry muttered something that he couldn't understand into his stomach.

"Harry, I need you to unwind yourself from my left leg. I can't feel it any more."

With the effort of one who was more asleep than awake, Harry rolled slightly to the left… the opposite direction of what Draco had been aiming for.

"Harry, having your lower body situated between my legs does not help me get out of bed faster."

Draco heard a more intelligent mumble this time, "Can't believe you said that with a straight face," but ignored it. Again Harry rolled to the left and off of Draco's legs entirely. However, he was still using Draco's upper body as a pillow.

"Harry-" Draco began to point this out but was cut off.

"Do you have to move?" Harry mumbled and then added something unintelligible along the lines of "M'sleepy."

Draco pondered this. It was still the weekend and he didn't have to go anywhere… well, except down to breakfast but he could get food later.

"Fine, but you owe me one."

Harry's reply was again a mumble of things Draco couldn't make out, but in a few minutes he too had drifted back to sleep.

Ron and Hermione stood outside the portrait of Medusa, unsure of whether to knock or wait for either Harry or Draco to grant them entrance.

"If you want to get in, you're going to have to wait a while unless you have the password" Medusa commented, inspecting her fingernails as if expecting to see dirt underneath them.

"Can you tell them that we're here?" Hermione asked. When Harry hadn't shown up at breakfast, she had worriedly dragged Ron down to the dungeons to find out if their friend was OK.

"No, I can't."

"Why?" Ron asked.

"Because I don't have access to the bedroom," came the tart reply. "And that's where they've been all morning."

"Too much information!" Ron yelped, covering his ears as if he expected the picture to launch into sordid details.

In a tone akin to Hermione's, the picture spoke. "Had they been doing what you are suggesting, young man, I would have found an excuse to go visit another portrait."

Ron shrugged, admitting that the portrait had a point.

"So they've been sleeping this whole time?" Hermione asked.