The secret of Harry's Family
Draco Malfoy hated Harry Potter. With a vengeance. His wildest dreams included him winning over Harry, proving him wrong. But he couldn't. No matter how much he and his best friends Crabbe and Goyle threatened him, however beastly they were to him, they couldn't touch him, hurt him in any physical way. Their secret bond was far too strong.
Harry Potter was glad to be back at Hogwarts. Him and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger had just left Transfiguration. It had been a fascinating lesson, they had finally learnt how to turn their desks into pigs and back again, something Professor McGonnagall had demonstrated to them in their very first Transfiguration lesson. Pavrati Patil, a girl in Harry's class, had got rather attached to her pig, but as Prof. McGonnagall had reminded her, she couldn't exactly keep it as a pet in the school. Pavrati was leaving the classroom in floods of tears.
"Pathetic," moaned Ron. "Her pig was perfect and everything. Mine had quills sticking out of its ears!"
"I know!" agreed Harry. "But at least yours could move! Mine had four wooden legs."
"Oh yes, well mines snout was so long it could've been an anteater," bustled Hermione. "Thank goodness we weren't being marked!"
"But we were," said Ron quietly.
"What?" screamed Hermione, displaying her immense fear of losing marks. "Why didn't you tell me?" She could have been having a heart attack and you wouldn't know the difference.
"He's kidding, Hermione," chuckled Harry. Ron was laughing so hard he accidentally walked into someone. Someone who was not a nice person to bump into on a Friday morning.
"Oh, look what the cat brought in boys," drawled Draco Malfoy, as Crabbe and Goyle chuckled darkly.
"Didn't realise Ron was holding up a mirror, Malfoy," said Harry coldly.
Malfoy went pink. "Watch what you say Potter. I know something that could play on your mind for the rest of your life. Something worse than Sirius Black being your godfather…oh, did I let something slip?"
"As a matter of fact, no" replied Harry. "But if you two were related, I know who got the looks."
Harry inwardly apologised to Sirius.
Malfoy stormed off, no doubt to tell Snape because as they passed the hourglass that keeps track of house points, they were 10 points down.
When they reached the dorm, they found a letter with Hedwig.
"It'll be from Sirius!" said Hermione. "Open it!"
Harry opened it and read.
Dear Harry,
I have just found something out. It is terrible, too terrible to be true, and I need to talk to you. Be by the fireplace in the common room at 2:00 tomorrow morning.
Sirius
PS- sorry, but Ron and Hermione can't be there. This is personal.
Harry breathed out slowly. "He sounds serious" he said lightly.
Later that night, Harry was alone, by the fire. The common room was empty. There was a small pop, and Sirius' head appeared.
"Hi!" said Harry cheerfully, but Sirius looked grave. Harry's smile faded.
"What is it?" Harry asked anxiously.
"They said…they said Lily…your mother…was muggle born. I believed it, she believed it, everyone, except…" Harry noticed that he not only looked grave, but pale and scared.
"What? Who?" asked Harry urgently, and a little to loudly. Someone stirred up one of the spiral staircase. He froze, but nothing happened. "What?" he asked.
"I can't tell you." Said Sirius.
"So what's all this about then?" asked Harry, exasperated!
"You need to ask Draco Malfoy." Said Sirius quietly.
"What?" asked Harry, amazed. "You know we hate each other!"
"Just ask him about your mothers father. Promise me. You need to know, but I'm not the one to tell you."
"OK," said Harry reluctantly.
Sirius disappeared with a pop.
The next day Harry told Ron and Hermione everything.
"Harry, you'll have to ask Malfoy, you promised Sirius," said Hermione.
"Yeah, he wouldn't make you talk to him for a joke," added Ron.
"OK, OK," said Harry. "But what do I say?"
"Simple.Just ask him who your grandfather is. That's it!" said Hermione. "Let's go down to breakfast, you can ask him there!"
As they walked down the marble staircase to the entrance hall, Harry noticed Malfoy skulking in a corner with his sidekicks. He took a deep breath and walked over.
"Malfoy, I need to talk to you about something," he said, shortly.
"Talk," sneered Malfoy. "Didn't know you had the brains, Potter."
Harry fought back the urge to throw an equally bad insult back. "Just come." He said. Malfoy knew he meant business.
Once in a quiet corner, Harry asked. "Who is my mother's father, Malfoy. I know you know, and I don't."
Malfoy's lip curled. "You don't know, Potter. You man to tell me you really don't know?"
"YES" said Harry, running out of patience. "Tell me who my grandad is!"
Malfoy very almost quailed under Harry's anger, but he had enough dignity to stand his ground. Harry could see Crabbe and Goyle, skulking by the staircase cracking their knuckles.
"Well, if you must know…but I'm sure I would torment you, poor little Potter's ears are far too precious…"
"Tell me!" said Harry.
"The Dark Lord is you Grandfather, Potter." Said Malfoy lightly.
"Voldemort?" Harry said. Malfoy gave an involuntary shudder. "You're kidding. He can't be my Grandad, my Mum came from a muggle family!"
"So everyone thought. Even your stupid mother thought it. She wasn't a Mudblood, but she acted it. She was killed by her own father, but The Dark Lord couldn't kill you. He was ruined. So imagine his glee when you were the one who restored him."
"I…I…Voldemort is my Grandfather," said Harry weakly.
Malfoy's smirk disappeared. "Well, Voldemort has another grandson. You also don't know that your stupid mother had a witch sister. A witch sister, who was my mother."
"You mean, we're related!" said Harry, if possible more horrified than he had been when he found out who his grandfather was. "I'm going."
He headed up the stairs.
Dear Sirius
I asked Malfoy who my grandfather was. He said it was Voldemort. I'm not scared, and I'm not trying to be brave. He also said we were related, our mothers were sisters, but it can't be true can it? I want the truth Sirius, what did you find out?
Harry
Harry tied the note to Hedwig's beak and watched her fly out of the owlery window. Back in the common room, Harry met Ron and Hermione. They were talking to Fred and George Weasley, Harry's twin brothers.
"Harry, what happened?" asked Hermione.
"I'll tell you later," said Harry.
"Fancy a game of exploding snap, Harry?" asked George cheerfully.
"No, I'm going to my dorm." replied Harry.
"You've only just got up!" said Fred, amazed. "Here, have a custard cream." Harry took one absentmindedly, and was about to take a bite when he suddenly remembered with a jolt, the canary creams.
"Actually, I'm not that hungry," said Harry sarcastically, and he set of up the spiral staircase.
After a while, Ron and Hermione came up. Harry told them what happened.
"Harry. You-Know-Who can't be your Grandad. Why should you believe Malfoy?" Ron said anxiously.
"I've sent an owl to Sirius, asking him." Said Harry. "Why don't we go to see Hagrid?"
Three days later, Sirius's reply came back with Hedwig.
Harry,
Dumbledore told me. It's true, you and Malfoy are cousins, and your Grandfather is Lord Voldemort. You must be terrified. I knew you needed to know.
Sirius
"Looks like he's serious," said Harry to his best friends, Ron and Hermione. "But to be quite honest, I'm not scared at all. In fact, now I know, I'm almost happier."
And they all set off to History of Magic.