Son of the Dark
Part 2 - Is
By Silver :-)
Website: silver.glasscases.net
Pairing: Snape, Harry/Draco
Rating: for this PG
Series/Sequel: yes, it's a WIP.
Spoiler: not that I'm aware of.
Warnings: not yet, but they might apply as the story proceeds
Disclaimer: alas, not mine... The characters belong to the great J.K. Rowling. I will never be able to pay her back what she's given me. I earn nothing, I own nothing, nobody would pay me for this any-way. This is an act of love, please don't sue.
Feedback: whereas I may not *write* for feedback I most certainly post for it. So there.
Summary: Snape gets confronted with his past and temptation rises. A cunning plot unfolds that could ruin the lives of everyone.
Notes:
To get into the series fully, you might want to read my preceding stories, 'Uncontrollable Passions' and following, but it's not really required.
The cover art to 'Son of the Dark' can be found here.
Son of the Dark
Part 2 - Is
By Silver :-)
"Woah Nellie!" Fred stepped out of the coach and joined his brother in goggling at the magnificent building in front of them.
There, at the end of a snowy white forecourt, Malfoy Manor spread out in all of its splendor. Two extensive wings embraced the court which was surrounded by a delicate iron gate. A broad staircase of shiny marble led to the main entrance and was flanked by the statues of a dragon and a lion scowling at each other across the distance. They glistened in the parting sun like ice and yet they didn't seem to melt. Inside of the dragon, a glowing sphere was radiating a soft green shimmer. A red one illuminated the lion.
Hermione breathed in audibly. "Oh my God, this is beautiful..."
They barely had the time to admire the building sufficiently when a house elf came scurrying out of a hidden hatch at the bottom of the huge oak doors and bustled in front of them. "Oooooh, Master Draco!" the elf piped happily. "You came back again!"
Draco, obviously forcing himself to smile, said, "Oh hello, Donna."
"Master Draco, I have taken care of your rooms just like you left them! I'm so happy that you're back again!"
"Yes, Donna. It's all right, really..."
The house elf didn't seem to notice Draco's discomfort. She hopped happily and clapped her hands. "I've prepared your bunny slippers and cocoa for tonight already!"
Draco blushed furiously, muttering, "I don't have bunny slippers!" while the twins were nearly dying laughing. He glared at the house elf who was obviously oblivious to all this.
"Your father will be so happy to see you!"
"I seriously doubt that..."
That very moment, the large door swung open and Lucius Malfoy and his wife stepped outside. The twins sobered at once. Lucius cast a look on the small group of friends and twisted his lips into a smile. Narcissa hardly showed any reaction at all. She walked as though she was floating behind Lucius as they came down the stairs to meet the arrivals.
Lucius reached out to touch his son's cheek. "Draco, how nice. How was the trip? Exhausting?"
Draco hesitated for a moment. "Well, it was---"
"That's nice." Lucius diverted his eyes, which had been intent on his son before, and directed them at the small party of friends, Harry in particular, who couldn't suppress a shiver when those cold gray eyes measured him. "And you must be Harry Potter," Lucius drawled. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Really? Well... I've heard a lot about you, too. From your son, I mean..." Harry rubbed his hands nervously against his thighs. He didn't know whether to offer his hand to Draco's father or not.
Lucius' must have sensed this and smiled again as he extended a white-gloved hand. "It's nice to meet you on friendly terms this time. I hope you will enjoy your stay at Malfoy Manor."
His grasp was almost painfully firm as they shook hands. Harry winced inwardly.
Lucius' glance now fell on the others as if he was noticing them for the first time right now. He looked at Ron and the twins. "Oh, you must be Weasleys. It's been a while since I've met any of you, but I would recognize that hair of yours everywhere. Be welcomed, too." This time he didn't make any move to shake their hands, and Harry felt his cheeks flush.
The last one to attract Lucius' eyes was Hermione who pressed the book to her chest nervously. Lucius hesitated a moment, then he said with a strained smile, "Ms. Granger, I take it? It certainly has been a while since we last had a... guest like you at our house. Some of the magical devices are very old here and might not react to... certain people. I'll make sure that a house elf will always be near to assist you."
Hermione blushed furiously. Much to everyone's surprise, Draco stepped in and said, "Father, this won't be necessary. Nobody knows how to handle magic like Hermione. Her skills in witchcraft and wizardry hardly find a match among her peers."
Lucius kept smiling. "Oh really? How nice." He scanned her quickly. "I see you brought this book with you. Let me tell you, it covers by no means the full extend of Malfoy Manor's magnificent treasures. If you want to, I can assign a house elf to show you around a bit."
With the beginning of a sparkle in her eyes, Hermione nodded. "That would be too kind, Sir."
"Wonderful!" He turned around and looked at Snape who had been standing a bit off, his arms wrapped around his body. Lucius' smile got deeper and more genuine. "Severus. So good you could join us."
Snape nodded curtly.
An embarrassing silence spread out, which was interrupted by Narcissa. "Maybe we should go inside so that you can all move into your rooms. Dinner will be served in about an hour."
Grateful to get out of this situation, the friends took their bags and followed the Malfoys inside. As they climbed up the broad staircase, George whispered to Ron, "I just hope we get double rooms. There's no way in hell I'm going to stay alone in that house!"
Ron nodded. "Tell me about it. This is just creepy. I wonder how Draco can endure this every day." His glance fell on Draco who was walking behind his father, frowning gloomily. Ron stopped and murmured, "Hm, maybe he doesn't..."
Harry passed Ron and nearly ran into him since he had been staring at the floor. "God, this is going to be terrible..." he groaned.
Hermione's excited squeal saved Ron from an answer. They quickly entered through the main door and caught a glimpse of what had caused her ecstatic exclamations of joy. Ron sucked in his breath at the sight of the large entrance hall. The candles were already lit and cast a mellow light on the polished wooden staircase that led up into the upper level. It was covered by a dark red carpet and split up at a landing. Right there was the mosaic that Hermione had mentioned and the light of the candles caused it to sparkle magically.
"Oh wow... this is really something," Ron said in a low voice, and Harry could tell that he was thinking about The Burrow this very moment. He knew exactly how he felt, because he was comparing this staircase to the creaky old stairs at Privet Drive with the dark closet underneath it as well.
Fred stepped next to them. "Man, this picture is weird." They all looked at the huge dragon in front of them. "I mean, look at it. What's it doing?"
Harry frowned. "I don't know. Looks like... like it's gnawing at something, or so. And are those skulls at its feet? Good Lord..."
With a nervous laugh, Ron said, "Now that's a dragon I don't want to go anywhere near, I tell you. I've never seen one like that. It must be humongous. I wonder if Charlie could tell..."
"It's probably fictitious." Harry swallowed. "At least I hope it is!"
About half an hour later they had made their way through the west wing of Malfoy Manor, moved into their rooms and were unpacking their stuff. Much to George's relief, they had indeed been assigned double rooms. Except for Hermione, of course, but she seemed to have set her concerns aside and was obviously highly pleased about her history-intensive room which she reported to Ron in colorful details as he took out his clothes and put them in the wardrobe. He was widely ignoring her, but that didn't really stop her.
"Oh Ron, it's marvelous, I tell you! The paintings in my room! One of them knows Agrippina personally!"
"Oh really?"
"Yes! It told me some stories already! I really wonder if they're allowed to do that, I mean isn't this somehow private?"
"Uh-huh."
"Come to think of it, it's a good thing that modern photographs don't talk anymore. Wouldn't that be weird? Have an exact copy of you talk to you all the time? Can you imagine? Two of me? I wonder what we'd talk about..."
"What a thought!"
Hermione pushed herself away from the doorframe and went over to Ron. "Can't you cheer up a bit? Or do you want to be miffed all weekend long?"
With a sigh, Ron closed the wardrobe and leaned against it. "No... I'll get over this soon, I'm sure. I'm just tired and hungry and even the paintings in this stupid shack are snobby!"
"No, they're not!"
"Are too! When I took my robe out of the bag, this painting over there sniffed at it!"
Hermione stared. "You're making that up!"
"No, I swear! It was making fun at my clothes!" Ron went over to his almost empty bag now, zipped it up and pushed it under the bed with his foot.
Hermione sighed. "Oh Ron..."
They both looked at the bathroom door when it opened and Harry came out. "Wow, it's like the prefects' bathroom in there!"
Frowning suspiciously, Hermione asked, "What do you know about the prefects' facilities?"
"Uhm, not much, really... Just, well..."
A tentative knocking at the doorframe caught their attention.
"Draco!" Harry beamed and went over to meet him. He stopped himself before he gave into the urge to kiss his boyfriend. He looked around, scanning the room. "Is it safe?"
Draco smiled. "Yes, it is safe." He stepped inside and closed the door behind him, pulling Harry close.
Ron cleared his throat audibly. "Just in case you haven't noticed us."
"Don't worry, I did," Draco replied, semi-coolly. Then he said to Harry, "God, it must have taken me ten minutes to come over here! That's so very much like my father! There would have been plenty of rooms in the east wing, but of course he pulled this little trick on us."
Harry pressed his sides. "I'm sure this wasn't his intention."
"Ha, I wouldn't be so sure."
The door burst open and the twins came in. "Ey, are you having a party in here, or what?" They looked around the room appreciatively. "Nifty. Ours is cool, too. George found a book on the shelves that reads bedtime stories to you, and when you're nice to the lady on the cover it tells you the naughty ones!"
Ron blinked. "How nice?"
"Well..."
Hermione stepped in. "I don't think we need to hear this here and now!"
George grinned. "It's really nothing, you just tickle her left.."
"Stop that!" Hermione glared and the twins snickered.
"You mean she has one...?"
"Oh yes, two even!"
Hermione squealed angrily and lifted her arm to whack the nearest twin over the head.
"Hm, maybe we should get ready," Draco suggested to prevent further eruption of violence. "Dinner will be served soon. It's almost seven."
"Do we have to change clothes?" Harry asked.
"I'm afraid yes," Draco said apologetically.
"Cool! We're already fine and dandy!" Fred brushed with his hands over his festive robe.
Ron growled. "I knew it!" He went back to the wardrobe to retrieve his maroon robe and the painting next to the bed snickered again.
"See? I told you!" Ron exclaimed, half triumphant, half embarrassed.
"Hey Fred, do you still have that pen marker?" George asked his brother, smiling evilly.
Draco tugged at Harry's sleeve and said, "Come on, let's go. I don't want to witness this."
They left the room and the anguished shriek of the painting followed them.
Harry swallowed down the last bit of strawberry mousse, hardly registering it's exquisite taste. The tense atmosphere of this dinner made him lose his appetite. On his left, Draco was staring at his plate, moving the food around. Right next to him, at the head of the table, Lucius was sitting, rather observing his guests than eating. A silver goblet was resting between his fingers and he wore his distinctive almost-smile.
Harry couldn't help but acknowledge that Lucius Malfoy was a handsome man. He was tall and slender, and every curve of his well-defined body radiated a sense of power. He was dressed all in white and the silver linings of his shirt went extremely well with his hair. The large gemstone at his collar had the exact same color as his eyes, smoky gray.
To Lucius' left, Snape was sitting, thoughtfully twisting a glass of wine in his hands. He had hardly touched the food at all. He was clad in his usual black and formed such a tantalizing contrast to Lucius' bright appearance that Harry couldn't help wondering if this was intentional. Every now and then, Snape cast them an amused look, obviously delighted at both Harry and Draco's discomfort.
Next to Snape, with a bit of a distance to him, sat the twins and Ron. Hermione had been seated to Harry's right. Way at the other side of the table was Narcissa's seat. All evening long, she hadn't taken part in any of the conversation, and it made people wonder whether she was really present at all. Only her occasional movements to supervise the serving of food proved otherwise.
Harry was pulled out of his reverie when Lucius put the goblet aside with an audible sound. Having everyone's attention that way, Lucius said markedly cheerfully, "So, Harry, why don't you tell me the story about how you two came to be... friends?"
"Well, it was..." Harry started, but Draco interrupted him.
"I already told you everything, father!"
Lucius smiled. "I know. But I would like to hear Harry's version as well." He adjusted the glove on his right hand and then laced his fingers together and looked over them at Harry, expectant amusement in his eyes.
The hunted look that Draco gave him made him swallow nervously, and his mind started to race. How could he tell this so that it was the least prone to contradictions? He had no idea what Draco had told his father, and when. A brief feeling of anger flooded him. Draco never told him anything!
"Well, as I've been meaning to say, we've known each other for ages now, as you know. First, we didn't get along too well. You could even say we hated each other. But then, one day we noticed that we had, eh, similar interests." To his own dismay Harry felt the heat crawl up his cheeks and he fought it back. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Ron and the twins pretending not to be there at all.
He directed his attention back to Lucius who was still looking at him intently. "Anyway, so we got to know each other better and realized that we could be something like friends."
Lucius looked at him for a painfully long time and then said, "How touching. My boy certainly needs more friends like you."
The sound that Snape made sounded suspiciously like a chuckle, but he muffled it with his napkin as he pretended to wipe this mouth. Lucius threw him a cold look, which he returned stoically.
Harry felt the muscles in his back relax when Lucius took his attention off him, and he almost wanted to moan in relief. He noticed that his fingers were clamped into his napkin and it took him some effort to relax those, too.
"Excuse me, Mr. Malfoy," Hermione suddenly asked carefully.
With a partially annoyed frown, Lucius turned his head and raised an eyebrow as the only answer.
"I have been wondering, Mr. Malfoy," Hermione continued unimpressed, "if you could explain some of the Malfoy history to me? The book I brought covers some periods only sporadically, and I find that there are some extremely interesting ancestors of yours that I'd love to hear more about. I'm writing a paper on important wizard families and their influence on the wizarding art culture and this can't be done without Malfoy Manor's treasures." Harry could have kissed her.
The smile that spread on Lucius' face was genuinely pleased, like the one of a man whose ego had just been stroked. He looked at Hermione with much more interest than he had before. "Why of course. I'll be happy to give you all the necessary information."
Hermione beamed back at him, giving Harry a quick side glance. "Thank you, that's very nice of you, Sir."
Narcissa put away her napkin gracefully and got up. Lucius rose as well, looking at his wife questioningly. "I think I will retire now, if that's all right with you, Lucius." She gave a small smile at the group. "It's been an enlightening evening."
"Of course, Narcissa. Sleep well." Lucius waved at her laxly and sat back on his chair again, not giving his wife a second glance as she left the room.
The silence spread again. Ron cleared his throat and immediately ducked back into the folds of his robes again when everybody looked at him.
Trying to save the day, Draco put his napkin down as well. "Maybe we should call it a day? We're all quite tired from the trip, right?" Everybody was nodding frantically. "I'm sure you don't mind, father."
Lucius gave him a probing look, then nodded slowly. "It's quite all right with me, son, I understand." He turned in his chair, looking at Snape. "My old friend Severus will keep my company, won't you?"
Snape hardly showed any reaction, except for his short affirmative nod.
Then Lucius said to Harry with a cool smile, "Have a pleasant night, Mr. Potter."
The soft breathing next to him told Harry that Ron had finally fallen asleep. After they had returned to their rooms, Ron had spent at least half an hour moaning how awful this dinner had been and Harry really hadn't been able to object. If a boggart were to burst out of the closet this very minute, it probably would have the form of Lucius Malfoy with a plate of assorted seafood appetizers.
Harry carefully got up and went to the wardrobe, careful not to wake up Ron. He retrieved his Invisibility Cloak, which he had brought along, already expecting that it would come in handy. Next to him, the painting of a bearded lady stared at him gloomily, but didn't comment as he threw the Cloak over his head.
He had to admit, he felt a bit scared as he walked along the dark corridor. It was ghostly silent. Now and then a torch illuminated the hall and only added to the spooky atmosphere. When they had returned from dinner, Harry had watched closely to see in which direction Draco disappeared. Now he tried to reproduce this.
Soon he found the main hall again where the magical chandeliers spread a beautiful golden light. Harry felt a bit more secure. He moved over the carpet light-footedly, always afraid that someone could be coming out of one of the many doors. In the east wing he had to rely on Draco's description to find the room he was looking for. He noticed in the passing that where the west wing with the guest rooms had been very luxurious already, the east wing was decorated in abundance with all sorts of symbols of immense wealth. It made him feel insignificant.
He swallowed down this feeling when he arrived at the door that he hoped was Draco's. Pressing his head against the door didn't help much to determine the person inside. Maybe Draco was asleep already? Harry decided to just pretend he wasn't there, should somebody other than Draco open. He knocked carefully.
It took Draco a solid minute to answer the door. He appeared wrapped up in a dark green silk robe, toweling his wet hair as he peered through the crack in the door. "Hello?" He blinked, confused, and was already going to close the door again, when Harry pushed the door open and slipped past Draco into the room.
Draco swung round with a "Hey!", looking alert.
Harry yanked the Cloak off his head and put his finger to his lips. "Sssh! Close the door!"
Ogling at him, Draco asked, non-plussed, "Harry?!" He pushed the door shut again.
"Yes, it's me!" He pulled the Cloak completely off his body. "I'm sorry if I scared you." He readjusted his glasses and ruffled his hair, not really changing much about it.
Draco smiled. "Nah, it's okay. I was just surprised." He came closer, reaching for the Cloak. "Wow... is this what I think it is?"
With a proud smile, Harry nodded. "Yes, it is!"
Amazed, Draco let the delicate fabric run through his fingers, testing its structure and admiring the invisibility effect it had. All the while, Harry stared at his boyfriend's long white fingers, thinking about what miracles they could do on his skin. He blushed a bit.
Draco looked up and saw Harry's blush. With a smile, he dropped the Cloak and covered the distance between him and Harry, pulling the other boy in a tender embrace. "Now that's a pleasant surprise," he murmured, pressing a kiss on each of Harry's cheeks. "I didn't expect to see you again tonight."
"I couldn't stay away..." Harry confessed.
His smile deepening, Draco said, "That's good." He kissed Harry on the lips, deeply and gently. When Draco released him again, Harry felt a bit dizzy and stumbled backward to get a hold of something which accidentally turned out to be Draco's bed. He lost his balance and dropped on it.
Draco followed him immediately and covered Harry's body with his, a sexy grin on his lips. "Oh, this is what you came for, hm?"
Harry turned crimson. "No! I mean..." He swallowed, feeling his boyfriend's hot body so close. "Maybe..."
"Definitely." Draco leaned down to kiss Harry again, this time more persistently. "Remember what I said about those white sheets?" He moved his head to nibble at Harry's throat, letting his tongue trace along the collar bone.
Harry pressed his head into the pillows, groaning helplessly. "What... what about your father?"
"He's far away at the other end of the corridor," was the muffled reply that came out of the folds of Harry's robe. "You can scream all you want to..." With that he proceeded to demonstrate his claim.
Later, Harry was lying in Draco's arms, sleepy from the passion he had just experienced, replaying it in his brain. How soft and cool the silk sheets had felt at his back, such an enticing contrast to Draco's warm skin, the scent of flowers that seemed to have emanated from the folds when he had buried his face into them and the soft rustling as they moved underneath the cover, their pants and whispers mingling with the sound.
He loved the sensation of Draco's smooth chest under his hand and cheek, loved to hear the steady heartbeat and feel his head move up and down with each breath Draco took. That was how it's supposed to be.
A gently nudge at his shoulder pulled him out of his reverie. "Harry? Harry, you can't sleep. You have to get back to your room."
Harry groaned. "I knew this had a catch..." He didn't move right away but allowed himself to doze a bit more in the luxurious warmth of his boyfriend and Draco let him, calmly stroking his back. Then he prodded his nose, whispering, "Sleepy head... rise and shine!"
With a sigh, Harry sat up, groping blindly for his glasses on the nightstand. After he had put them on and Draco moved into clear view again, he caught him smiling at him. "What?"
"Oh, I just thought you look cute without your glasses."
Harry responded with a blush. He looked to the side, just now taking in the interior of Draco's room completely. He was surprised to see that it looked like a normal boy's room. Well, maybe a bit nobler than the average teenager's room with the mahogany wood and the delicate carvings in the furniture, but still rather normal. Tasteful choice of colors, some nice paintings, a bookshelf that was bulked with various objects, rather than books... Nothing notable. A door at one side of the room led to a bordering bathroom. Pinned to the wall next to the bed were a couple of Quidditch posters.
Harry raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "Oh, you like the Warwick Warriors?"
Looking a bit comfortable, Draco said, "Nah, I just forgot to take them off. I've put them up two years ago or so..."
Smiling at Draco's embarrassment, Harry said, "It's okay to like Quidditch teams, you know?"
Draco snorted. "Pah, I only put them up to cover up some spots on the wall. Hardly ever watch any..."
"Oh I see," Harry drawled, nodding serenely. "Hey, I like the Chudley Cannons, do you see me blush?"
"The Cannons?!" Draco looked at him, shocked. "But they're a lousy team! They didn't even make it to the playoffs last season! Ever since they got that Italian coach their performance dropped considerably---" Draco stopped, catching Harry's grin. He frowned. "Okay, so I like watching Quidditch. Is that a crime?"
"I'm not saying anything." Harry shook his head softly. "It's you who acts as if it were something to be ashamed of."
Draco looked away. "Guess you're right," he said flatly. "I just always think it's something you have to hide. My father..." he stopped, taking a deep breath. "My father always told me that you don't waste your time with things like that. Better practice and perform well yourself. No use gawking at some team."
"I understand..." And Harry really did. He knew how it was to grow up in a hostile environment where nobody understood and supported you. He reached out and pressed Draco's hand reassuringly, but Draco was in one of his moods again. Harry sighed. "Looks like I have to go..."
Draco just nodded.
Harry waited a bit, then shrugged and got out of the bed, not minding his nakedness. He quickly put on his clothes and then bent down to pick up the Invisibility Cloak. He turned to Draco, but he seemed to be lost in his own world.
Shaking his head sadly, Harry threw the Cloak over his shoulders. "Night then," he mumbled. He was almost at the door when Draco's voice held him back.
"Harry?"
"Yes?"
Draco got up and walked over to him, looking at him seriously. "Thank you."
"For what?"
Draco just shrugged. "For everything."
"Don't mention it." Harry smiled and turned to the door.
"Wait, I'll let you out. Looks less suspicious." Draco went past him to the door. He grabbed the doorknob and took a last look at Harry, tugging at the Cloak a bit to make sure that it covered everything. "See you tomorrow then."
Harry walked outside, turning around one last time to look at Draco and tell him that he loved him, but when he was just about to do so, a door opened, way at the other end of the corridor. Harry froze. Lucius Malfoy came striding out of his room, stopping dead when seeing the light coming from Draco's room."
"Draco!" he said sharply. Harry didn't dare to move. "What are you doing up so late?"
Draco looked at the empty spot for a moment where Harry stood, then said, "Nothing, father. I just thought I'd heard a noise. I'll go back to bed now. Good night."
Lucius gave him one last scrutinizing look before he said, "Good night, my son. Sleep well."
Draco's door closed and Harry was left in the darkness, only the small cone of light that came from Lucius' room casting an eerie light at the ghostly white man. Harry didn't dare to move or even breathe in fear of giving himself away. Lucius still stood glued to the spot, watching Draco's door thoughtfully.
Suddenly a shadow fell on Lucius when a second person appeared at the door. Dark and threatening he moved next to Lucius. Harry almost gasped when he recognized Snape. What was he doing in Lucius' private quarters?
Lucius turned to him stoically and said, "He's gone now. We can go."
Snape responded with a nod, closing the door to Lucius' rooms. They came toward Harry who pressed himself against the wall, hoping they wouldn't touch him accidentally. When they were past him, he fought with himself for a moment, not sure whether he wanted to take the risk and follow them, or rather wait until everything was clear and then go back to his room. His curiosity won.
With some distance to the two men, he sneaked after them, trying to listen to what they said, but he was too far behind. They stopped at the stairs and turned to each other and Harry finally managed to catch some of their words.
"... takes some time," Snape said.
"Yes, I know!" Lucius replied impatiently, crossing his arms. Suddenly, he sucked in his breath and extended his hand again, exposing a bandage across his right hand.
Snape took the hand surprisingly careful and inspected it. "I told you not to touch the lye," he said tenderly. "If you had done it at some other stage, you could have ruined everything."
Lucius pulled away his hand. "Let's go."
They walked down the stair, stopping at the landing. Lucius did something to the mosaic that Harry couldn't see, since he hadn't dared following them down the stairs for fear of making a noise. There was a soft rumbling noise and a hidden door at the mosaic swung open into which Lucius and Snape disappeared.
Harry stared at the mosaic for a while, utterly confused. After a while, he dared to go down the stairs and take a closer look. He couldn't see for the love of God where the door was hidden. It must be something magical. He wanted to touch the mosaic, but that would have meant that he needed to take his hand out from under the Invisibility Cloak and he didn't want to take that risk.
Realizing that there was nothing else he could do, Harry decided to go to bed. He'd have to talk about this with the others tomorrow.