“it’s alright”
“it’s not” harry turo hi, wantg hi to ake it better, knowi be able to “how ould this still be a thg that sares ?”
≈’s the w about it, really, how after all he had do was what the dursleys had dohat left the deepest sars, and herioalk all she wants about hildhood and forative years and repressed ories, harry khis is and siple, and all he ever warong
≈’s sary” drao sat dow doesn’t touh hi, and harry is grateful “beae herione is sared of faili and ron is sared of spiders and i’ sared of heights ahg any of an do about it, it jt is it doesn’t ake you ore or less tha jt akes you huan”
ho wasn’t huan, harry thought, a’s why he liked drao so uh, beae out of all the people ihe one who really knows what voldeort was like, how his d worked who bea obsessed withhis ht that it ant that he was weak dohat an
hethat up, now, if at a he doesn’t “but you pyed quiddith”
“what?”
“you said you were afraid of heights, but you pyed quiddith” harry didn’t want to talk about voldeort or the upboard uairs or that elr “why?”
“y dad wao,” drao said, shruggg, and harry is reiher thg that herione said, about hoarents leave sars whether it’s iional orbothered to ask what hers looked like, but now he wishes he had “i’d do anythg to ake hi proud”
≈ silene for a ohen drao speaks aga “you doo hide it, you know when you’re afraid at least not fro ” harry opened his outh to speak but ouldn’t fio say, only that he waue “i khis thi to protet everyo, but please, love, let take so of the b sotis, okay? believe it or not, i an be helpful”
≈ threatens to hoke hi, so he goes for a joke stead “love?”
drao siled, knoks his shast harry’s before standg up “don’t worry about this” he waves his hand at the elr harry doesn’t look at it “i’ll o fill it toorrow ”
stupid, harry thks, but due
chapter 40
drao
≈ look like his father anyore
for a ont, drao thksarou have beehe wrong ell his ahe bak of his ell aher, he an he rebered had stood so tall, so proud (was hidg behd a an who roud? was he brave whehe sh of soone else’s wa the walls of his own hoe beo a age?) this an was a skeleton, his eyes suhe bdes of his shoulders proi even through his shirt, the skiight over the bones i ould he an he rebered, a—
“dad?” he fored hiself to talk, the w strahe pressure buildg his throat aep loser, hands g around the bars he wants to yank it bak, beae it is so old, the hill bitg through his skihe aurns toward hi a feel the old anyore
“dras hiself to his feet and has to hold onto the wall f tate i, rhg steps his hair falls arourgs, and drao wonders why he hasit “is that you?”
his voie is barely above a whisper, straed and rakg how long has it been se he had sooalk to?
“it’s ” there are tears buildg his eyes drao had proised hiself that he was do’s , dad”
“what are you doihey are hes away fro eah other drao ould reah through the bars and touh hi if he wa he doesn’t
“i wao see you” it souion “i got perissioer”
“good of you” his hareblg there are ors, but it is still not a happy pe—it’s old, and dap, the water fro the waves soakg through raks ione and spillihe floor, the only oforts a py attress and threadbare lothes that do nothihe hill he’s heard that a few have still gone razy, left al as they are “but you shouldn’t have o”
≈urns his bak on drao, a ove that would have oed hi, but it does he sa affet now, not when he is so weak fro dise that he stubles as he oves bak towards the bed, alost sendg hiself sprawlg i did his, drao thks, lookg at his father, lookg at this ell, reberi front of the wizengaot and did , but nothg he did was bad enough to warrant livg this ki his father—drao had long sped akihe thgs he had done if i were here, it would be beae of hi, not beae of
“i waalk to you” he throws his vh the bars, but i does ell you thgs about—about harry potter”
there’s a hiss fro the ell beside the drao doesn’t flh
“i’ve heard about yuards shopg” it’s funny, how even wheer an, even wheandi side of the bars, how easily it is for sooo ake you feel sall “the o of you at a e should i be expetg a weddg vitation any day now?”
it stgs, but not as badly as drao had thought it would “i love hi” the words buoy hi a little his father oves, o