A/N: yes, this is a short ass filler chapter. I'm sorry. Got the final task coming up next chapter though, but I won't be able to publish it for a week because I'm going on holiday. Sorry fam!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Some people say that there are five stages to grieving. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally, acceptance.

Credence Barebone had grieved over many things in his short life. His mother's death, the death of Jake, and eternally, his own life.

Denial had been a strong factor in his life for awhile. Denying his own suffering to everyone he met, denying the fact that he'd killed a boy his own age without even touching him. Denying that he was hungry when he gave all his food to his sisters who needed it more, denying that he was okay.

Anger was something he was all too familiar with. He was angry at his Ma for making him suffer. He was angry at whoever had caused him to suffer this much. He was angry at himself, for hurting so many people.

He'd have bargained with the devil if it made sure he wouldn't hurt anyone else. He'd made a deal with Graves, who'd promised to teach him magic and save his life if he did what the man asked.

Depression hung over him like a dark cloud for his entire life. Every breath was a struggle to breathe in, getting out of bed was difficult. Convincing himself that he still had time to live was getting more and more difficult with every day that dragged on.

He'd accepted it by now. He didn't mind the thought of death so much anymore. He'd hurt a lot of people in his life, and had been hurt by a lot of people. He knew he didn't have much time left, but now, that was okay. He could die happily, fall into a peaceful eternal sleep, knowing that there had been one person who'd loved him.

******

Harry sat in the library on a Saturday morning, eyeing the bushy haired Gryffindor girl who had dragged him here somewhat angrily. He didn't want to be in the library, he wanted to be with Draco. Well, kissing Draco was more accurate.

Hermione's constant chatter about what had happened below the lake's surface made him want to repeatedly slam his head into the nearest desk.

She'd seen the many mermaid corpses that had floated to the top of the lake, and had been extremely shocked. Her constant reading had given her a lot of information on the creatures, and she knew that they were a force to be reckoned with. Plus, the shockwave that had ran through the air. Everyone with magic in their blood had felt it, and at this point, Harry was the only one not back to the surface. It had to have been him, but how? Only a huge amount of magical force could've created it, nothing that Harry had seemed capable of.

Not to mention who he'd had to rescue from the lake. Hermione has asked him about it, and Harry just said that it might have been a further test, to save someone he hated. Harry had always been a good liar, so Hermione wasn't believing a word of it. The fact that the blond had dove back into the water to save him didn't help Harry's case either.

She'd pestered him about everything that had been bothering her this year in the span of the forty five minutes they'd spent together in the library. Harry found that apparently Ron didn't hate him so much anymore after seeing him dying on the decking floor with a trident sticking out of his side, but that didn't mean he resented the red head any less. They'd been friends for years, and Ron decided to abandon him for something that Harry never wanted in the first place. Some friend.

By now Harry had given up on listening to Hermione's ramblings, and was dozing, daydreaming of a certain Slytherin werewolf.

******

Credence had his eyes half closed as he watched Newt, admiring every aspect of the man's face. Newt was sitting with his legs crossed, Credence's head in his lap as the Magizooligist levitated a book in front of him, reading while stroking Credence's hair.

He'd had his head buried in the books ever since he'd woken up, so neither of them were out of their pyjamas, or intending to get dressed at all today. Credence however, was growing slightly bored.

"Are you going to anything but read today?"

Newt merely shrugged in reply, his gaze not moving from the book he was staring at as another page turned on its own.

Credence rolled his eyes, sitting up and blocking the book from Newt's view, forcing the man to look at him. Credence grinned slightly at this, Newt's expression perplexed.

"Credence, please just-"

"Oh, shut up," Credence replied, pressing their lips together. At first Newt tried to protest, but quickly gave up as Credence deepened the kiss, pushing Newt down onto the bed and straddling him, Newt tangling his fingers in Credence's hair as the book fell to the floor, forgotten.

Finally when they broke apart to breathe, Newt could only admire the boy above him, letting a small moan past his lips as Credence trailed his lips down Newt's bare chest. Newt pulled gently on the boy's hair, biting his lip to keep himself from making any more noise as Credence moved to kiss and bite at his collarbone.

Credence lifted his head, a small smirk playing across his slightly swollen lips, his pupils dilated and breathing heavy. "I'm not as innocent as I look, you know."

Newt's breath caught in his throat. "P-Prove it."

Credence just raised an eyebrow, smirk not fading. Painstakingly slowly, he unbuttoned the black silk shirt he'd been wearing. By the time he threw it to the floor Newt was on the verge of simply ripping it off of him out of frustration.

Newt let his hands freely trail down the boy's chest, enjoying the way Credence shuddered every now and again at his touch, finally letting a desperate whimper past his lips, crashing them against Newt's.

Newt knew one thing for sure, lying flustered beneath the boy who had suddenly come to mean the world to him in the span of a few months. He had to find a cure. He had to, because he knew now that he couldn't live without Credence. He simply couldn't.

******

Draco walked through an empty hallway, humming to himself as he walked. Harry had been kidnapped by Granger all morning, so Draco found himself walking around the castle to prevent himself from getting too bored.

Today was Saturday, the day when everyone else was going to Hogsmeade. Draco silently wished he and Harry could've gone together, but at least it left the castle empty of people who'd normally annoy him.

He paused as he reached the courtyard, looking out at the grounds. A huge maze was being grown across the Quidditch pitch, and simply looking at the still unformed hedges made Draco's stomach churn. He had a bad feeling about the maze, which had revealed to be the next task. They'd have to go through it, facing many obstacles, and retrieve the Triwizard Cup.

Of course, Draco didn't doubt his friend, yet in the second task, the circumstances had seemed... Rather strange.

How did Diggory know in the first place that the egg needed to be underwater to be intelligible? It didn't seem like a lucky guess.

Then the mermaids had attacked Harry, specifically after the headmaster had instructed them not to. Sure, he had provoked them by hissing and showing his fangs, but that didn't warrant being impaled.

Harry had gotten hurt in every task so far, and Draco was dreading the next one, probably more than Harry was himself. He couldn't stand to see the vampire in pain, it made his heart twist and caused him physical pain too.

"Hello," a melodic voice that Draco recognised sounded. Draco turned, his face lighting up with a smile.

"Finally escaped her, then?"

Harry nodded. "Finally. She let me leave when Ron walked in after I complained that it was awkward."

Draco couldn't help but grin down at Harry as the vampire took his hand. "They're growing the maze over the Quidditch pitch."

"That's rather rude."

"Agreed."

Silence reigned for a bit, both simply happy to be in each other's company. They didn't have to speak, the silence was never awkward between them.

"What've you been doing this morning?" Harry asked, an attempt at starting a conversation.

"Thinking about you," Draco replied, a smile playing at his lips as Harry diverted his gaze, pink dusting his incredibly pale cheeks.

"Same," Harry's voice was quiet and shy. "Well, other than half listening to Hermione ramble."

Draco gave a small laugh, a heavenly sound that made Harry smile. "Sounds like fun."

"Yes, definitely," came Harry's sarcastic reply.

"Well, on another note, would you like to go to Hogsmeade?"

"Won't there be lots of people?"

Draco nodded, turning to lock eyes with Harry. "But I don't care. Do you?"

Harry shook his head, his grin lighting up his entire face.

"No."

******

Sure enough, Hogsmeade was packed. Despite the huge amount of people, Harry couldn't help but huddle close to Draco's side as they walked through the wizarding town.

"Where do you want to go?" Draco asked, looking around at the many shops.

"I don't know, wherever you want is fine."

Draco thought for a moment, before an idea formed in his head. "Well, it's not exactly in Hogsmeade, but I came across this place a while ago and I think you'll like it."

Harry just nodded, smiling at the blond.

******

They'd reached a part of the forbidden forest that filled Harry with a certain nostalgia. He frowned, looking around to try to discern where they were. His hand was still being held by Draco's as they walked, sunlight filtering through the huge trees and dappling the ground.

Finally, they reached the edge of a lake, and after surveying the area quickly it all came back.

"I've been here before," Harry's voice was quiet, reminiscent. "Last year, when I fought the dementors..."

It was the same lake where he'd kneeled over Sirius' body, too weak to fight off the onslaught of hellish beings, when he himself cast them all away over the other side of the lake.

"Dementors?" Draco asked, curious as he sat down. Harry sat down beside him, leaning against Draco.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. Last year, we got into some trouble with Lupin on a full moon and he attacked my godfather. Chased him down to the lake, where the dementors were, and we both nearly died. I saved us, actually, using a time turner with Hermione."

"You guys get up to some strange adventures," Draco remarked.

"You don't know the half of it."

"True. But why were the dementors there? Shouldn't they have been at Azkaban?"

"No," Harry replied. "They were looking for Sirius Black, who happened to be my godfather."

"Wait, that psycho that killed that man?"

"No, that wasn't him, he was framed for that. The man got away. Sirius did nothing wrong."

Draco merely sat, thinking. "We're cousins, Sirius and I. Second cousins."

"I didn't know that," Harry said, turning to look up at the werewolf.

Draco nodded. "Yeah. Narcissa and Bellatrix are his first cousins."

Harry frowned, noticing the way his voice got sadder as he spoke of his mother from her first name. He truly didn't believe he belonged with them anymore, he truly believed he wasn't a Malfoy anymore.

Harry didn't speak, just reached up to take hold of Draco's chin and turn the boy's head, smiling at him before pressing their lips together. Draco replied immediately, kissing him back with all the passion he could muster.

******

Dear Padfoot,

Sorry I haven't written to you yet. I assume you already know that I was entered in the Triwizard Tournament (not on purpose, of course) and a lot of other things have happened to me this year that've stopped me from writing.

Better get the biggest thing out of the way first I suppose. Early this year, I was kidnapped and taken to the Malfoy Manor. Most of it is still blurry memories, but I became a vampire. No sunlight or going out in public without a concealing charm, and I have to drink a substitute for blood. It's absolute hell.

Draco Malfoy was bitten by Fenrir at the same time, and we escaped together. He and I are pretty close friends now, he's related to you, isn't he?

I just have to get through this final task and then figure out what I'm doing over the holidays. Please write back soon, I'd like to hear from you.

Harry Potter.

Harry folded up the piece of parchment, letting Hedwig take it in her beak. "Take this to Sirius." The owl blinked at him understandingly, before spreading her wings and taking off out of Harry's bedroom window.