Dirty Little Secrets

As the years at Hogwarts passed by, it wasn't only Harry who was noticing a significant decline in Draco's, well, everything. He looked exhausted all the time, every year a little more worn out.

Hermione was the only one still doubting that he had been branded with the dark mark and was now a death eater. Or at least for a while Ron and Harry along with the rest of the Gryffindor house and a few Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw's like Luna, saw something going on.

After skulking around Knockturn alley and spying on Malfoy going into Borgin and Burkes, followed by Hermione's attempt at infiltration in the store, with no luck, Malfoy have taken a detour out and down farther into Knockturn, Harry, Ron and Hermione had lost sight of him.

"He's up to something, I don't know whether it has to do with Voldemort, or..something else...hes up to something and I don't think he's taking it well. I think he looked scared shitless when he took off out of there." Said Harry as they walked back to Diagon Alley, trying not to be noticed. "What do you think he could be up to?" Ron asked curiously, sensing that Harry had more of an Idea that he was letting on. Harry didn't reply, Ron figured it would all come together in due time. Hermione just kept checking behind them to make sure they weren't followed. "He looks like hes lost a lot of weight, over the summer." Harry said to the others.

They had things to do, school supplies to acquire, Gringotts would be needing a visit, and Flourish and Blotts was a block away, they figured they would hit that first then go for a butterbeer.

Harry however, couldn't stop thinking about what he had seen. Had he gone in to buy something? Sell Something? Inquire about something, about him, Harry? something just didn't seem right.

The last week of summer vacation was about to draw to a close, and the Weasley's, Harry and Hermione were ready to go back to school, the last day before returning Fred and George wanted to take them into Hogsmede to have a bit of fun at Weasly's Wizarding Wheezes. Stock up on Peruvian darkness power, among other things, They were just sitting down for a drink when Harry saw Malfoy walking past the window, head down and thoroughly...sad? Disappointed..or scared? Or maybe just generally not feeling to go maybe? maybe he was sick? had the flu, perhaps. Or maybe he was up to something. But what exactly Harry couldn't figure it out.

What was even more troubling, was the fact that in his mind, Harry felt genuinely concerned. He was worried about him. No, wait what was he thinking? worrying about his mortal enemy, well, school mortal enemy, Voldermort still held the title of life long mortal enemy. He had been sitting at the table with Ron and Hermione, apparently lost in his own thoughts. He wanted to follow him again, but this time under his invisibility cloak, and this time alone. He needed to know what was making Malfoy look so terrible and, well, it was bothering him for some reason. If he was trying to help Voldermort in some way then Harry needed to know what was going on.

He got up quickly, and headed for the door. "Oi, where the bloody hell are you going to, our drinks just got here?" Ron asked curiously. Hermione looked at him too, knowing more then she let on she said nothing, just gave Harry a quizzical look. "Uh, bathroom, I'll be right back." he said quickly, then through his coat on and made for the door outside, "That's not the way to the bathroom mate.." Ron called behind him. Hermione grabbed Ron's hand across the table, looked him in the eyes and said, "You know him, he cant help but succumb to his damn curiosity." "I guess you got me there, you got any idea what hes up to?" Ron asked quietly. "I have a lot of ideas of what he might be up to, but I would rather not stress out about it now, hes gonna do what he wants whether we approve or not." She replied taking a sip of her butter beer. "Guess your right, well at least we get some 'alone' time" Ron said with a wink. They looked around the almost empty Pub and moved closer to each other, awkwardly, but still both secretly wanting something more."

Harry slipped out the door, looking up and down the street, he spotted his target heading towards a group of shops that had been closed down recently, due to break ins and the death eaters terrorizing the locals. He through his invisibility cloak over himself while no one was watching, and ran off towards Malfoy. Harry saw Malfoy turn a corner, then ran up to catch up with him, without being too obvious of course.

Outside one of the recently boarded up stores there he was, Malfoy, standing with his back to the street in a doorway talking to a rather shady, and short, plump man in a long black cloak. Harry wasn't sure if the stranger was another co-conspirator death eater, or someone else. He didn't quite look like the death eater type, more like a very poor wizard who had been down on luck for some time. Harry moved closer, closer, close enough to hear they're whispered, hurried conversation. He had clearly missed the first bit, but what he heard made him feel even more uneasy, and stranger still, he felt that Draco may be in deeper than any of them had thought.

Harry leaned up against the wall beside the doorway where the two were whispering. "Look, I don't care what its going to cost, or how many degenerates I have to deal with, I need it and I need it now." Malfoy said angrily, "And if ANY of this gets around to ANYONE, especially, my Mother. Understood?" "Ya, ya I get it okay. give me an hour, meet me back here. I'll do what I can." said the short, dirty, oddly familiar voice. Harry knew he had heard that voice, more than once. If he could only catch a glimpse of his face. He was sure he knew who this man was.

As he was pondering that, he almost had his cover totally blown, the short fat man, rushed out of the doorway and almost ran right into Harry, The man stopped, looked directly at where he was standing, looked him right in the face, then turned and disapparated. Harry, in slight shock, overwhelmed with confusion and almost in shock of being close to being discovered. But one good thing had come from that close encounter. He had been looking directly at Mundungus Fletcher. 'Wasn't he?' He thought. He was so deep ion thought he almost forgot Malfoy was still standing in the doorway. He wouldn't have remembered at all if he hadn't heard Draco start swearing.

Harry leaned over a bit to see what he was still doing in this scummy doorway all boarded up. He had put his hood up and at a closer look his cloak and robes, even his shoes, they weren't up to the usual standards of the Malfoy Manor. Draco looked a lot worse than he had originally thought. He leaned back to his safe wall to see what Draco was going to do. After 5 minutes of waiting Harry could hear Draco swearing under his breath, and something else, was he? Was he crying? or sobbing at least, Harry had to take another look, he was starting to feel bad for Draco, why he couldn't figure out. But there it was.

Harry wanted to see where Draco was going so he stood still waiting for him to get out of this doorway. Waiting. He waited and waited and waited. His toes were freezing and he didn't have on gloves or a scarf, he didn't expect this to be going as strange as it was. He was hoping to find out if Malfoy had really become a death eater and was up to some business with his Father. Or maybe Borgin and Burkes. Anything at all would be better than standing in the freezing cold listening to Malfoy cry. But leave, he did not. Instead, he looked around the corner, grabbed a cardboard box and sat down, huddling himself up very small on the box. He put his head in his hands and had Harry not known it was infact Draco Malfoy, he never would have thought it was him. He looked like one of the wandless wizards the ministry had been stripping of the wands and deeming their magic 'stolen'.

'An hour. Dung said he would be back in an hour.' that thought went through Harry's mind, but he was freezing, he would have time to go back to the three broomsticks and warm up, put on some winter clothes and be back with plenty of time to spare. So, very carefully, which is hard when you're invisible in the snow and making foot prints. Unfortunately, Malfoy was obviously waiting for the sound of someone approaching. As Harry took 3 steps out in front of the doorway Draco was sitting in, Draco looked up. He didnt see Harry, but he got up very quickly, peeked around the other side where Harry had been leaning in the cold, then he looked the other way, down the street. Seeing no one, he sobbed a bit again and went back to his box and his hood and face hidden in his hands. 'His hands, what happened to his hands?' Harry stopped dead, he couldn't understand. What is happening to Malfoy?'

Harry had to get a grip, he didn't have a bunch of time, not if he wanted to find out the rest of this story. He'd already been standing there staring at Draco for almost 10 minutes. Trying his best to make no noise he went at a jog, maybe no one see his foot prints if he got far enough away quickly. So jog he did. He burst into the three broomsticks, almost forgetting to take of his invisibility cloak before barging into the second door.

He sat back down at the table, but before Ron and Hermione could ever ask what he was doing Harry held up his hands, looked at both and said "I'll be right back im just outside keeping an eye on Malfoy. No Hermione-" She had stood to argue but Ron grabbed her hand and pulled her back down. "I need to do this one solo guys, cant blow my cover. I need to see what he's up to." Harry whispered between the 2 of his friends. "Time is the key here, I wont be long. Just stay here, understood?" said Harry, a little too sternly, realizing this by the look on Ron and Hermiones faces he quickly added, "I know this sounds nuts, but trust me please ok guys. just wait ill be back before you know it. Ok?" he looked at Ron, who made eye contact with Harry and nodded. He looked at Hermione, who was looking a bit disheveled at the moment. She nodded and sat down. "Be careful Harry. " she said quietly. Harry smiled and nodded. "Its only Malfoy I'm talking about here guys. Not Voldermort himself." He whispered with a grin, which they returned.

With that he peeled out for the door and as soon as he was in between the two entrance doors, he threw the invisibility cloak on and the door seemingly opened itself and out walked, well, nothing. No one was to be seen, but Harry was there, and he was on a mission. He looked up and down the street. 'Would Malfoy still be sitting there like a homeless person?' Only one way to find out. Harry picked his way to the doorway where Draco had been sitting on the box looking very, well, Harry couldn't pin point it, something was wrong that's was obvious. But what? He spotted the doorway, and to his dismay, Mundungus Fletcher had already returned, The two were whispering and looking around as if to make sure they hadn't been spotted.

Harry picked up his pace, he was still too far off to catch what they were saying, and they were trying hard to keep their voices down. Harry stepped in other footprints to try to approach without being noticed, it worked well, but as he had thought, time was of the essence and Harry realized he had already missed whatever was happening between the two under the cover of the doorway. Harry got right up on the wall beside them to hear what he could. Draco had stopped crying or sobbing or whatever his issue was, now he seemed like he just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible.

"Oh thank Merlin, I thought you were gonna take your sweet time." Draco said, sounding very relieved. "Y'all always doubt me, always, never any gratitude for Mundungus, nope." Said Mundungus. "Ah gimme a break Fletcher, you should understand by now, word on the street is that you dabble a little yourself. Hence why I called you here today, and I'm sure you got your cut. Anyways I got to go get this done Dung I'm in rough shape...And not a WORD to my folks you got that, because otherwise, I'll be coming for you." Draco said coldly, he was very sweaty and his hands were shaking. Harry was very confused, he should have been faster. "Alright, well I need to get outta here quickly and quietly. Potter and his friends are in the bar, hes the last person I want to run into like this, but its also the closest warm place to do this so I'm gonna go roll the dice, see what happens. " said Draco, a tone of, was it sadness? in his voice. "You alright Malfoy?" said Mundungus, "Ya I will be in like 4 minutes if you shut up and let me leave." Draco responded. "Uh you're forgetting something Malfoy, I need to be paid for that little foray. Its not like the stuff comes cheap. And as you'll probably be back again, and again, it would be wise to pay the delivery man, you know I'm the one risking myself for you here so, these people can get pretty upset...when they don't get paid." said Fletcher.

"That's all you people ever care about isn't it, all of you, you just want to get your cut so you can go get whatever it that you need to survive these day, Here, next time I call you, if you are quick there'll be a tip in it for you, today you get what I paid for." He reached into his pocket, pulled out a brown paper bag, and a little satchel of coins. He hastily shoved the bag back in his pocket and through the satchel at Fletcher, who caught it and turned to leave, only to be grabbed by the collar by Draco, "Not so fast Dung, one more thing, For what I just gave you, this better be proper, I got no patience for bullshit these days, Got enough of my own to deal with, so if there's anything I should know, now would be a good time to tell me." Draco still holding Mundungus by the collar stared right into Dungs squinty eyes, which were trying to look at anything but Draco's eyes. "I'm serious Dung. This is no game, you should know that by now." He let go of Mundungus who brushed himself off and took one backwards glance at Draco, who was watching him leave, and muttered something under his breath, Harry didn't catch it. He was more interested in what he had just heard but its didn't make much sense, he almost missed Malfoy leaving his doorway, hood up and head down heading towards the three broomsticks. He couldn't possibly be going in, he said he knew Harry, Ron and Hermione were in there. I guess it was the closest place to go warm up in, maybe Malfoy wouldn't go in. But go in he did. Harry followed. Not removing his invisibility cloak, walking right behind Malfoy so the door wouldn't have to open twice, once by a seemingly invisible ghost. He was right on Draco's tail, he could hear him breathing fast.

Ron and Hermione were sitting close deep in conversation, Malfoy caught sight of them, wondered where Potter had gotten too. That bothered him, made him uneasy, even a bit worried. But he didn't break his stride, nor make eye contact with Ron and Hermione. He envied them at that moment, Draco began to climb the stairs to the bathrooms, then stopped dead in mid step, Harry all but walked right into him. He froze ,wondering what Malfoy was doing. He was looking at Ron and Hermione, Harry glanced at them too. After a minute Draco kept going on the the men's washroom, Harry following as close as possible, slipped through to door behind Draco.

Malfoy was heading for a stall in the washroom, but stopped when he saw his reflection in the mirror. "What have I become?" he whispered to himself. after a moment of staring at the person in the mirror, he hung his head and sobbed again. "You'll be fine in a minute, stop being a pussy about this. fuck." He said and locked himself in the bathroom stall.

Harry felt strange. Not the normal feelings he usually had for the entire Malfoy family. Something was very wrong with how Draco was acting. Harry didn't dare leave the bathroom but he also wasn't about to risk walking over to stall to try to see what Malfoy was up too, or worse be discovered spying on his worst enemy in the bathroom. He stood still against the wall, listening.

"Come on." Malfoy said quietly. Harry heard him pull out that paper bag and rustle around in it for god only knows. For the first time in his life, he felt like it wasn't Harry or Dumbledore or anyone at all that Draco was trying to destroy whether by his fathers orders or the Dark Lord himself. No, this was different. Harry felt like he was, listening to something, different. Sad almost. Draco was still cursing and half sobbing. "What have I become..." he whispered to himself in the stall. Then Harry heard some paper tearing, a paper bag being shoved back into a pocket, then a strange, metallic ping as something feel on the florr in Draco's stall.

"Fuck, come on, stop shaking. " He whispered again to himself. Harry tried to catch a glimpse of what made that sound on the floor but Draco picked it up before Harry could see what it was. 'What is he doing. what the hell is he doing in there, and why i am concerned about it?' Harry thought. Then there was fire, he must have lit his wand with a small flame, why Harry could only guess, then almost as quick as it appeared on the ceiling, the light of the fire was out. Silence for a moment. Another moment, then an elastic band snapping, them silence again.

Harry waited, and waited, for something. Anything. And then directly behind him the door swung open almost knocking Harry to the ground. A man walked in, went over to the stall Draco was in, knocked, got no reply the picked the next stall and went in. Harry, heart pounding in his chest, was begining to think it would be a good time to leave and go back to his friends. Then the man flushed the toilet, opened the stall and walked back out, at least Harry had fair warning this time. Should he leave too? why was he..was he worried? about Draco? He hadn't heard another sound from his stall. Nothing.

Harry, confused by his concern for Malfoy, thought about taking off the cloak and knocking on the door. But what would he say? How would he explain what he was doing in there anyways. But he couldn't move. He was torn between a bunch of totally random emotions, among other things. and then he heard a thump. That snapped him out of his confusion. He made a quick decision. "Draco?" He said, he took the cloak off and stashed it down his robes. Taking a step closer to where Draco was still in the stall. "Draco? Are you in there?" No response. "Draco, are you alright, hey I know you're in there. Draco!" Harry pounded on the door. He didn't even know what he was doing, how was he going to explain himself if Draco came out in his usual Draco Malfoy manner. That wasn't going to go well, Harry knew that, but he didn't care. Something was wrong. There was more to this story than he could have known.

"DRACO! Oi, are you okay? Answer me or I'm kicking this door open!" Harry yelled and pounded on the door. "Huh? What, Go away, I'm busy.." If Harry didn't know it was Malfoy in there, he wouldn't have believed it was him. Harry heard more crumpled paper bag and some random scraping noises, followed by a thud on the door. As if Draco fell into the inside of the door. "Oi, what the hell are you doing in there Draco, you're freaking me out." Harry yelled again. "What? who, what do you want I said I'm busy." Draco replied, but he didn't sound like Draco, he sounded like he was half asleep. Then he dropped to the floor.

"Shit! Malfoy What the FUCK are you doing!" Harry dropped to the ground and grabbed Draco's dirty black Cloak and pulled him out from under the stall door, he was very white and sweaty, cold sweat. his eyes were open, but he was barely conscious. "What did you do Draco?" Harry had pulled him out of the stall and had his head on Harry's lap. 'Shit. what is going on Malfoy.' He thought. At the same moment, Ron came into the bathroom laughing, "I'll be ba- Harry? what the bloody hell is going on in here!"

Harry and Ron stared at each other for a minute, speechless. "I don't know." Harry said shakily. "I don't know, I have no idea but he's barely breathing, go get help!" Ron didn't move, he stood, open mouthed looking at Draco, who was now turning a kind of blue, then back at Harry. "RON! go get HELP!" Harry yelled. Hermione must have heard them, or else was already onto the fact something was going on, maybe she had seen Draco walk in, but he didn't look himself. "oh my God, Harry whats-" she started, "GET HELP HERMIONE!" She turned and ran back down the stairs.