Almost Like Family

Author: Jadah Krayne

Pairing: HPDM. So sue me.

Rating: T, which I think is the equivalent of R, simply for the language and possible sexual references that are to come.

Timeline: Set in the summer after HBP

Warnings: Slash-a-riffic, and HBP spoilers. If you haven't read the book, don't read this fic and if slash ain't your bag, press BACK and save yourself now.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but this story, though with the amount of money JK Rowling's made, I really wish I did.

Summary: In his search for Voldemort, Harry decides to find out exactly who RAB is, and with a little help from an unlikely source, he finds something else entirely.

(A/N: I would also like to dedicate this story to my wonderful girlfriend and beta-er. Seriously, without you Mackenzie, this story would have been a gramatical nightmare. Where would I be without you?)

ONE

It was raining, not an unusual sight during the summer, though it did make everything seem more and more dreary as time wore on. Because of it, Harry had not had the chance to further his searches in finding the Horcruxes or information on the elusive R.A.B. The rain made it almost impossible, mixing that with the fact that the Daily Prophet headlines were frightening people more. The newspaper soaked up any information that it could, feeding the paranoia that Dumbledore's death had caused by adding any little tidbits that it could scrounge up. This made Harry the angriest, as he knew that it had caused many capable people to go into hiding when he could have used their help.

Useless, the whole lot of it, he thought grumpily, sifting through a stack of articles and pictures that he had acquired for his recent research. So far, he had found nothing. Not even a single clue to the identity of the mysterious person that had the Horcrux that Harry so desperately needed to destroy could be found. In frustration at his own thoughts, he scraped his arm against the wood of the desk and sent the papers flying, letting out a sigh. "Nothing! All this time and absolutely nothing to show for it! Why? Why can't I find anything?" he grumbled out loud, the words much louder than he had intended for them to be. It wasn't that he thought his aunt and uncle would hear, as he knew they wouldn't pay attention to him except to tell him to quiet down. It was all of it.

He settled back into the chair, closing his eyes and sighing again. Dumbledore said it would be difficult, but...did it have to be this way? I could get Ron and Hermione to help, but they're in the States getting information for me like I asked them to...and Ginny won't even speak to me, he thought rather unhappily, pulling himself up and walking out the room. He needed to get out of this house, even if it meant trudging through the storm. Enough was enough.

"I'm going out," he called out as he grabbed his coat, not even bothering to wait and see if anyone was going to answer. Of course, it wasn't like he expected them to. After Dumbledore's visit, his aunt, uncle and cousin had taken to leaving him even more alone than usual. That was more than fine with him.

Luckily, the rain had lightened a bit, and the boom of thunder had settled to a low rumble. This put Harry in a bit of a chipper mood, and he even got the urge to hum just a little as he started to stroll down the street. He had no idea where he was going, but he figured wherever he ended up was much better than where he had just been.

The streets wound into London, and Harry was pleased to find that not many people were out and about on this gloomy Saturday. "Good...maybe I can get some work done then," he said to himself under his breath, slipping his hand into his pocket and making sure his wand was there. Lately, he never left home without it, just in case Voldemort or the Death Eaters rounded the corner and decided to pick a fight. He hoped not, as the new Minister of Magic had decided to up the patrol on magic use outside of school in hopes of deterring another incident like the one with Draco and Snape. Snape...the very thought of him made Harry's insides burn with hatred, so much more than he thought he could ever feel. I'm going to find you, you sniveling snake, and I will burn you alive, he thought, not paying any attention to where he was going. He slammed head-on into someone he never, ever thought he would see again.

TWO

"Draco! What the hell are you doing here?" Harry growled, pulling out his wand and thinking of every possible curse that he had ever learned. He was fully prepared to use them even in the full light of day on the cloaked figure before him.

"Calm down, Potter... don't do anything rash," the other boy said, removing his emerald green hood and looking at Harry with the most serious expression he could ever remember seeing on the other boy. "I didn't come to fight or anything... I came looking for you."

"For me? That's a laugh...why in the hell should I trust you?" he growled again, sheathing his wand, but keeping it where he could reach it again if the situation arose. He watched Draco with suspicion and disgust, not even bothering to hide his bitter feelings toward him.

Draco sighed loudly, holding up his hand. "You shouldn't, given my track record, eh?" he said, attempting a joke. When the amusement wasn't returned, he cleared his throat and continued. "Anyway, as much as I don't want it, I...need your help."

Harry couldn't keep the surprise off of his face at that. "Why in the world would you need my help? You are Voldemort's new lapdog... Get him to help you," he sneered, regaining himself. He watched as the other boy visibly flinched, smirking in satisfaction. He loved that this pathetic servant of the 'Dark Lord' couldn't bear to hear the name spoken aloud, but he, the Boy who Lived, could say it.

"I deserved that, true...but that's what I need your help with," Draco said, looking at Harry for the first time without disgust in his eyes. Instead they were filled with something that looked suspiciously like need, bordering on desperation. It was almost too much.

"I'm not exactly understanding what you're getting at here," Harry admitted, returning the serious expression, searching the other boy's face for answers.

Draco stayed silent for a long while, almost as though he was finding the courage to say what he wanted Harry to understand. It almost scared Harry to see this arrogant, always self-assured Slytherin this...normal. To say Draco had emotions and could be human was like saying the sky was green and marshmallows grew on trees; it was simply ridiculous. "After...what happened...I realized that Dumbledore was right. I am not my father, and I don't have to do what they want. I mean, look where serving the Dark Lord got him, and for what! Nothing to show for it but sitting in a dark, stinking cell in Hell. Not my idea of a grand and victorious standing. So, you see Potter, I need your help getting out of what I've managed to get myself into," he said finally in one long breath, as though if he didn't say it all at once, he would never utter the words.

Harry sat in stunned silence for just as long, unable to process completely what he had just heard. People don't change like that overnight...but...he did hesitate and the look in his eyes... he thought to himself, shaking his head. "So, you want me to forget that you were going to kill Dumbledore, then stood there and watched as Snape killed him using Avada Kedavra, and that you ran off into the distance like a coward...just like that?" he replied sarcastically, wincing when the words finished coming out his mouth. He hadn't meant to sound like that, but he found that he couldn't control it.

"I'm not saying that. I'm not proud of what happened, Potter, and I wouldn't blame you if you just let me rot in Hell, but...you always were the better man of us, so I figured..." Draco said in a small voice, turning his face away from Harry.

"You figured I would help you."

"Yeah, something like that."

Harry let out a sigh, awkwardly walking toward the other boy and embracing him. He felt Draco quickly tense, though after a minute or two he relaxed and tried his hardest to stay that way. "This doesn't make me trust you, or even believe you, but...I suppose it is a possibility that you could be telling the truth. I guess it does make me the better man, doesn't it?" he said softly, letting go of the other boy to look him in the face.

"Yeah, I guess. I guess I figured that if anyone could help me, the Boy who Lived could. I don't want my life anymore. I tried ending it," he said, looking a bit ashamed. He slowly pulled up his sleeves and revealing swollen, pinched lines tracing along his veins, leading to a mound of scar tissue that Harry assumed had been Draco's Dark Mark at one time. Harry winced, watching as he pulled the robe's sleeves back down. "But my aunt Bellatrix found me and healed them, though I think the effort nearly killed her," he continued nastily, sneering at that thought. "Served her right. Anyway, with that option gone, I thought finding you would be the next best thing."

"You've said that, once or twice," Harry remarked, grinning despite himself. The very idea of Bellatrix Lestrange suffering at the hands of a healing spell was just too damn funny not to at least smile. "Well, I'll make you a deal. I'll keep you out of harm's way, which means you staying with me and the like, and you'll help me with what I have to do," Harry said, his face returning to the serious expression that was there moments before.

"And what's that? At this point, I'll do anything that you want me to," Draco said, shifting nervously from one foot to the other, as though waiting for the worst to be said.

"Help me find the Horcruxes and who R.A.B is."

Draco looked at him for a moment, raising an eyebrow. "Sure, and I am supposed to know what you're talking about? I'll help you find these Horcrux-a-whatsits and who the hell R.A.B is, just as soon as you explain to me exactly what those are," he said plainly, studying Harry's face.

Oh boy...here we go, Harry thought dejectedly, wanting nothing more than to slap his forehead and be done with it. "I would have thought you of all people would know what Horcruxes are."

"Nope, sorry. Never heard of them," Draco said irritably, clearly not liking the idea of not knowing something the other boy did. No matter how amiable he tried to be, that thought still irked him. I suppose that's from hearing it all these years. "Be better than Potter!" or "Don't let that Mudblood get the better of you!" he thought to himself, not showing it on his face.

"Well, then I suggest we head back to my home, if you would call it that, where I know we won't be heard. The Order has some good charms worked to keep it safe...and if Voldemort ever decided to attack it, he would be bored to death moments after he arrived," Harry joked, though when he turned to see if Draco agreed, he saw that the boy looked more desperate than before. "What?"

"The...Order of the Phoenix? What if they...you know...because of my..." he muttered, clutching his arm to his chest and not looking at Harry.

"Won't let you in? They let Snape in, didn't they? Same basic principle. Besides, if they do have a problem...just leave it to me," Harry assured him, adding, "Now, let's go before someone sees us. There is a lot to tell you, and I really don't like the idea of being overheard."

"But...won't we be overheard at your house?" Draco asked, catching up so that his stride matched Harry's.

"Are you kidding me? My aunt and uncle and cousin run and hide at the very mention of something that they don't understand. Believe me, there are no worries there," Harry said with a little bit of a grin, and Draco seemed satisfied with the answer.

And off they went.