Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter and all things in Ms. Rowling's books do not belong to me. I wish they did, but alas...I am condemned only to play with them. That doesn't mean I love them any less. Thank goodness we don't have laws on that yet! Please enjoy my fantasy.

Chapter one: Save the Date

"Crucio!!" Draco cried. His face red, stained with tear tracks, and overwhelmed with hate.

"Protego!" Harry shouted a moment before the unforgivable cruse collided with his shield. He heard Malfoy call out a stream of curses, each bouncing off the shield around him. He watched Malfoy's pitiful attempts to break through the barrier drain him of energy. That and whatever had caused the meltdown he was witnessing. Malfoy began to sway on his feet and dropped to his knees, wand hand falling to his side.

Harry approached and slowly knelt to the same level keeping his shield up until Malfoy dropped his wand altogether. His head bowed hid the tear tracks and any other emotions on his face.

"Who…who's trying to kill you Malfoy?" Harry asked cautiously.

"Who do you think Potter!" Draco gave a weak snort. Attempting to conger enough hate to sound snide. "You can't honestly be that thick," not looking up for fear of green eyes that might be filled with an emotion other than mutual hatred.

Remembering that only a moment before Malfoy was trying to Crucio him, Harry decided to provoke as much information as he could out of his nemesis.

"Voldemort?" He said watching a chill run through Draco. "Why would Voldemort want to kill you Malfoy? You're Mr. Junior Death Eater of the year himself? Why would he want to kill his newest recruit so soon after taking the time to mark him?" With that said, Draco's head and wand shot up from their relaxed position and aimed at Harry once more. Harry, to his credit remained still, his face emotionless.

"What would you know about it Potter!"He screamed, "Perfect Golden Boy! You don't know anything!" Draco raged.

"What's there to understand? You have always made it clear that you wanted to follow your Death Eater father, now that you've done that I would think you'd be overjoyed about it, not crying in the loo like a girl."

Draco dropped his wand and was on Harry in flash, hands around his throat choking him. Harry, half expecting this reaction and ready to prove his own suspicions were correct, reached for Draco's sleeve ripping it back up to his elbow.

There, wrapped around his arm several times, was a black metal bracelet in the form of a slick black snake. Unlike decorative piece jewelry, it was wrapped to tight to be comfortable and it gave off an eerie blue glow. Harry turned his gaze to Draco's horror filled face and met his eyes. Draco tried to recoil his arm into his body, but Harry held him firmly.

"What is that?!" Harry demanded. Draco turned his eyes, now leaking desperate tears, away from Harry looking anywhere else.

"I told you, you don't know anything." He said so softly Harry strained to hear him. "It's a torque! Punishment for my father's shortcomings at the ministry, penance for my family's failure to serve our Dark Lord, and an incentive to strive to please him in my father's absence. That's what it is!" Draco pulled away from Harry and leaned back against the wall. Pulling his knees to his chest, Draco lowered his head, trying to breathe evenly and gain his composure.

"What's a torque? You're right, I don't understand?" Harry said after many long moments. He picked up the forgotten wand from the floor and handed it to Draco while moving to sit against the wall with him. Draco took his wand tentatively with a look of slight confusion.

"I…I told you. It's punishment for my father. He is useless to the Dark Lord in Azkaban. Malfoys are not permitted to fail their Lord. It sets a bad precedence for all the rest. Now I have to replace my father and his role or we lose our lives. My mother and I have these…these restraints on to ensure my completion of my mission. If I fail, which I will, he'll kill my mother first and then me… after I have been punished enough I suppose."

Harry stared at him for a minute, contemplating the images laid before him over the pass hour. Malfoy, proud and pretty, bent over a sink crying to Moaning Myrtle of all people, and now here was his school rival curled up crying and confessing to him.

"You're talking about this as if you are not even going to fight him. Like it's not a death sentence!" Harry blurted out before he could stop himself. Draco laughed darkly then looked at the floor in front of him.

"Oh Potter," he sighed, "It's useless to think I can fight or run from him. It isn't like I didn't know this was coming. No. This has been my only choice for a long time. It's only path that would have me. There are no more 'ifs' for me, just 'whens'. When I fail, when I will lose my mother, when I have to face the Dark Lord…" His voice became distant as he trailed off.

"You're not talking sense Malfoy! You don't have to do this alone. You could go to Dumbledore, he could help you and fix this," he said pointing to the bracelet. "He can keep you and your mother safe too."

"No."

"No?"

"No. That won't work, because he is the mission. The Dark Lord wants Dumbledore dead by my hands and the headmaster knows it. And they both know I can't do it. The whole mission is just to torture my father and mother before he ends us. He marked me for death Potter, and no one lives through that…except for you of course." Draco chuckled. "But it really does feel better talking about it with someone. Thanks Potter."

Harry gaped at him for a moment. Dumbledore was the mission. Now things began to come together. He felt like he was having an epiphanous Hermione moment when he heard Malfoy chuckle. Harry couldn't believe Malfoy was making cracks about his demise and then thanking himon top of that. Perhaps Malfoy had cracked? Or maybe he hit his head on the sink earlier? He shook the thoughts from his head.

"How did you know it would come to this?"

"Excuse me?"

"You said you knew this would happen, how?" Draco's eyes flashed for a moment as if he was remembering something painful.

"It's in the past now and it doesn't really matter anymore. Let's just say that my grandfather's commitment to the Dark Lord was what pushed my father into service. My father told me a long time ago that if I didn't win myself a stronger ally that it would be my fate to bow to that half-blood madman." Rising to his feet, he turned to offer Potter a hand up.

Harry stared at Malfoy's hand then looked into the same face he saw when he was on the train in first year. Now tear stained and more genuine than he had ever seen it. The realization hit Harry then. Malfoy wasn't just asking for his hand in friendship that day, he had been asking for liberator. He needed someone to give him hope and choice, Harry had rejected him. It was no wonder he had been so angry these past five and a half years.

He took the offered hand and felt himself being pulled up; swaying slightly on his feet, then being steadied by Draco's other hand.

"Potter? Potter are you alright?"

"Yes. I mean no! I…" He started but then did the only thing that made sense right then. Harry pulled Draco into an awkwardly tight embrace. A startled Draco tensed, then relaxed into the arms of his enemy returning the embrace with sincerity.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Draco. I didn't know…" He started, but the bell brought them both back to reality.

"Don't be sorry Potter," stepping back from Harry, Draco gave a sad smile, "Just be sure that you kill the crazy bastard."

That earned a smile from Harry and Draco took that as his queue to leave. With a heavy heart and a tear on his cheek Harry watched Draco's retreating form until he turned the corner, and was no longer in sight.