Disclaimer: *me no own*

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Chapter One - Stars, When You Shine

Plink.

Harry grabbed another rock and threw it in anger.

Splash!

He could never get the hang of skipping rocks.

The realization of being useless yet again sent him crashing to the ground.

He couldn't do anything right, he couldn't even skip bloody stones across the water. After everything that happened, couldn't he get a break?

Harry laid on his back and looked up at the sky through the trees of the Forbidden Forest. The stars twinkled meaninglessly at him, their secrets hidden to all but the centaurs.

Maybe if he could read the stars, he could have stopped Sirius's death.

He snorted. Maybe he could skip the bloody stones, too.

He couldn't understand how each year at Hogwarts got worse, and worse, and worse. And now, ever since Voldemort returned, people seem to die at the end of the school year. Last year was Cedric. And just a few hours earlier was Sirius.

Who was going to die next year, Dumbledore?

Well, good riddance! Harry was angry with the batty old man. 'Neither can live while the other survives'; like he doesn't already have enough on his bloody plate?

He raised his arm to brush away his tears.

Sirius, he thought longingly. He hadn't been able to spend time with him, yet another thing he was sure was Dumbledore's fault. Sirius had told him how Dumbledore knew Peter was the Secret Keeper, yet Sirius still went to Azkaban, without even a trial!

And, of course, there's the fact that his parents' wills were never read.

Sirius didn't realize this until the previous summer, and he was unable to get word to Harry until he came to Grimmauld Place. Harry hadn't been able to get into Gringotts to see the goblins, and they hadn't gotten any replies to the letters he'd sent; if the letters were sent. He doubt they even got to the bank in the first place. He was planning on going over winter break, but Mr. Weasley got attacked, and they were all rather busy, what with Arthur being hurt and Voldemort being in his head and all.

He still hadn't had a chance to go speak with the Goblins, but he would do it this summer. Dumbledore said that he had to go to the Dursleys for the blood wards, so he would stay the minimum amount of time possible, before taking the Knight Bus to Diagon Alley and getting a room at the Leaky Cauldron.

He would no longer blindly follow Dumbledore's orders. He owed Sirius that much, at least.

But he couldn't help but feel like he was forgetting something…

"Potter?" An incredulous voice asked.

Great, Harry internally groaned. Because Malfoy is exactly what I want to deal with in the middle of the night, in the middle of the Forbidden Forest, after my Godfather had died (which his dad kinda participated in) and I've just found out that I've got to kill Voldemort.

"Potter, are…have you been crying?"

Of course, he notices, Harry raged, standing up and turning to yell at Draco Malfoy, before noticing the blonde's own eyes, red and swollen. He stopped. "Have you?" he asked quietly.

"What? No. Of course not! Malfoys do not cry in public!" But he was hastily swiping at his eyes, trying to clear all trace of his tears.

"Do they cry in private?" Harry asked, smirking.

Malfoy stared at him, silence filling the air. Then he burst out laughing, moving forward and collapsing beside Harry. "Yes," he said, when he managed to calm down his laughter. "I suppose we do."

"Why was that so funny?" Harry asked.

Malfoy waited a bit, before answering, lying down on his back with his hands supporting his heads. Harry never thought he'd see Draco Malfoy in such an…unsophisticated position.

Malfoy didn't answer, and Harry felt the rising tension appear back up, reminding him why he hated him, before Malfoy spoke.

"Because it's absurd."

Absurd? What?

"What are you talking about, Malfoy?" Harry asked, slightly annoyed (thought that was more because of the realization that he was having an honest to God conversation with his school nemesis). He wondered if it was because they were both crying out in the forest, and in a way, neither of them felt like they could fight with each other right now.

"Potter, I've known you…what, five years? And I'll admit, I felt horrible when you turned down my friendship. Who were you, thinking you were better than me?"

"Well, you didn't exactly give the nicest impression," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "You were more than a little bit of a prick."

"Yes, I see than now, and I suppose I owe you an apology. But first, let me finish explaining."

"You see, what are the odds that two people both go to the Forbidden Forest, crying, in the middle of the night, and to the exact same spot. Now, what are the chances that they know each other, and, to be more specific, hate each other?" "Pretty rare, I guess."

"Yes, it is, and that's what's so funny about it. If you had told me yesterday that I would have come across Harry Potter crying in the woods, I would have laughed and shrugged it off. But it is very real, and it is happening, right here, right now."

There was some more silence, as he struggled to find what came next. "There is another thing, though. What are the chances that one of the two needs help, something that he could probably only be given by the very person he meets in the forest; the very person he hates?"

Harry paused, and realized, through Malfoy's long explanation and odd theoretical situations, that Draco Malfoy was asking for forgiveness, and for help.

"What do you need help with, Draco?" Harry was tired of fighting, and if this was a chance to get one more person on his side, to stop so much more of his extra stress, he wasn't going to turn it down. And if they were going to be friends, it doesn't seem very likely that they would continue to call each other by their surnames.

Draco was quiet, before: "I got a letter this morning. From my Father."

Harry felt a bubble of hatred boil up inside him, but for now, he pushed it aside. "What did it say?"

The silence here stretched out far more than any of their previous ones had. Several minutes ticked by until: "I'm to take the Dark Mark this summer."

"And…you don't want to?" Harry couldn't help from keeping the confusion from leaking into his voice.

"No." It wasn't defensive, or defiant, like the Malfoy he'd come to know; it was broken, ashamed, and damned. "I don't want to take it. My family doesn't either."

"What?" Harry asked, surprised. "But your father-"

"My father regrets a lot of things," Draco interrupted. "But he's got himself locked into a corner, and he can do nothing but obey the Dark Lord." Harry waited for Draco to continue. "After the first war, Father realized that he had not only supported the wrong person, but that his ideals weren't exactly right either. Oh, he still looks down on Mud- Muggleborns and blood traitors and the like, but he isn't as vicious about it as he would've been. But then, You-Know-Who returns, and he has no choice but to follow the madman's word. My father saw his insanity before the first war ended, and it's even more prominent now." Draco shivered. "He wishes he could back out, but when you're branded as his slave, you can't do it. My family wishes that we could've remained neutral – that the Dark Lord left us alone, and we didn't have to do anything. But we don't have that choice anymore, and I'm going to ask for help from Dumbledore. But I don't want to. He's a manipulative old bat, I mean, heaven knows what he puts you through each year-"

"You're right. Don't go to Dumbledore," Harry interrupted. "Listen, I think I can come up with a plan, but I'll need your help. Your parents too, and I need them to make a Wizard's Oath, because I don't really trust your father."

Draco snorted. "I wouldn't too, in your situation." He glanced wearily at Harry. "You'll really help me?"

"If this is what I think we're doing, then I think I'll be helping both of us."

Both of them relaxed, side by side, and Draco asked, "Do you forgive me?"

Harry's eyes met him. "I don't really know if I forgive you, per se, but I'm giving you a chance at redemption. But once this is all done, I want you to apologize to the people who will be helping us."

"You mean the…you mean Granger and Weasley?"

"They're some of them, yes. But I think you guys will get along pretty well if you drop the animosity. I'll probably have to talk with Ron, because he'll surely be hostile in the beginning, but I think if you guys play some chess it'll be fine."

"Chess?" Draco asked.

"Yeah, you play, don't you?" Harry asked.

Draco nodded.

"And Hermione is really smart, and I know you are too. If you guys find the right subject, I'm sure you'll get along. Aren't you in Ancient Runes with her?"

"Yeah," Draco said, somewhat reluctantly, followed by, "Do you really think they'll be able to forgive me?"

"I think anyone can be forgiven, as long as they realize their mistakes and apologize for them sincerely."

"Even You-Know-Who?" Draco teased.

"Yes, actually," Harry said. "If he truly regretted everything he'd done, that would be enough punishment for him."

Draco smiled. Harry stared at it, surprised by his laugh and now his smile. He can't think of one time when Draco Malfoy had smiled instead of smirked, laughed instead of glared. "I should have never doubted that you would help me," Draco said, relaxing.

"You know, you're right," Harry said from beside him. "You've been my enemy for what, five years? You should know me better than that by now."

Draco laughed, but this one was a joyful and relaxed one, compared to his hysterical type from earlier.

A few minutes of silence passed, them listening to the bugs and staring at the stars, before Draco asked, "You know why I was crying. Why were you, if you don't mind me asking? It's only fair. But I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to-"

"Draco," Harry said smiling. "It's fine. I'm just trying to find a place to begin." He paused, thinking. "Do you know what happened earlier today?"

"Probably not, from your tone of voice," Draco said. "The thing you're about to tell me hasn't really gone public yet, has it?"

"No," Harry said quietly. "It hasn't." He waited a little more, before he started explaining. "I got a vision earlier today."

"A vision?" Draco asked, confused.

"Yeah. I'm not a Seer, but my scar is linked to Voldemort's mind. Sometimes I see what he does, hears what he does. I experience it on my own." Harry paused a bit, before continuing. "After the thing with Umbridge, we snuck away into the Ministry. 'We' includes myself, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna and Ginny. We went into the Department of Mysteries, and this huge fight broke out. At the end…my godfather ended up dying."

Draco was quiet before his whisper slipped out of his lips. "I'm sorry Harry, I…" He seemed to realize that he shouldn't say anything about that, and instead, asked, "Who was it, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Sirius Black."

Draco gasped. "But…Black murdered-"

"Actually, he was innocent. Sirius was sent to Azkaban without a trial, but the whole time, he was innocent. I loved him…he was the closest thing I had to a father. And now…he's gone."

The tears fell from Harry's eyes again, and Draco stayed silent, before quickly pointing at the night sky. "There, do you see that?"

"See what?" Harry asked, brushing away his tears.

Draco pulled out his wand, waving it toward the sky. A series of light whipped out and circled a star, but the light blocked it out.

"You see that area?" Draco asked.

"Yeah," Harry said.

"Watch," Draco instructed. The light disappeared, revealing the bright star underneath. "Do you see that star? Where the light was?" "Yeah," Harry said.

"That's Sirius. The star your godfather was named for."

Harry froze, a series of emotions rolling over him, before finally setting on one. "Thank you," he whispered. "But how did you know where to find it?"

"The Black family has always named their children after stars, or constellations. My mother is the only one to be named after a flower. But even I'm named after a constellation. My full name is Draconis."

"That's the…dragon constellation, right? Is it in the sky?"

"Yeah, it's over there." With a wave of his wand, light was connected to the stars, drawing out his constellation. "It's always in the Northern Hemisphere."

"That's supposed to be a dragon? It's not like any dragon I've ever seen, and I've seen 5."

"Five? There were only four during the Triwizard Tournament so…I knew it! Hagrid really did have a dragon first year!"

"Yeah," Harry said. "It was a Norwegian Ridgeback, actually. Nearly set his hut on fire. But I mean, it is made of wood, so…"

They both laughed. Harry was surprised at how well they were getting along. If Draco had held his tongue around Hagrid and Ron, he could have easily joined Harry's friend.

"So what does this plan…involve?" Draco asked.

"Depends. What do you know about blood wards?"

"Not much, but the Manor does have some. Are we talking about general protection, protection on property, or protection from people?"

"Um…I think just overall protection. Like having to visit some relatives for a little bit a year to grant you protection."

"That would count as general. I don't know as much about that one; Malfoy Manor only has protection surrounding the actual property, and protection to stop unwanted people from entering the property or sending unwanted things. But I do know that all blood wards much be spent for two weeks at least to keep the bond going for another year."

"And maximum?"

"Well, that would be a month – any longer than that wouldn't matter. A full month will grant you as much protection as possible, but by then, it's full. Like

filling a potion bottle. When you hit the top, no more is going to get in, and trying to add more won't make it last longer – it will just go everywhere, so it's unneeded."

"Oh, I think I get it. Like a battery!"

"What's a battery?"

"It's this…you know, I actually don't really know what a battery is, but I can get Hermione to explain it to us…"

"Is that because Granger knows so much, or because it's a Muggle thing?" "Both. I think that if you saw a little bit more of Muggle culture, you'd be…impressed."

"Impressed?" he scoffed. "Sure."

"Don't deny it till you try it!" Harry said, repeating something he had heard Remus tell Sirius the previous summer, trying to convince the Animagus to try some new food. Harry's smile faded as he though longingly of Sirius.

"Is that a Gryffindor saying?"

"Kind of," Harry said, dragging his attention back to the present. "It was something that-"

There was a cry in the air, and a majestic bird dropped down to them. Draco gasped, sitting up. "Is that a Phoenix?"

"Yeah," Harry said, getting up. "Fawkes, what's wrong?"

The bird cawed and landed on his shoulder, nudging him back towards the castle.

"Do you want us to return to the castle?" Harry asked. The bird nodded. "Did Dumbledore ask you to do this?" Fawkes shook her head. "Is he up to something?" Another nod. "Alright, thank you for warning us, Fawkes. This is Draco, he's on our side now, alright?"

The Phoenix cawed and jumped onto Draco's shoulder, who seemed terrified of the bird. Well, he hasn't always had the best experiences with birds, Harry though wryly, remembering Buckbeak. The bird leaned in close, expecting him, before turning back to Harry and nodding enthusiastically. With one last cry, she flew off, leaving them alone.

"What…what just happened?" Draco asked nervously.

"Don't worry, it just means she approves of you. Come on, it's getting late," Harry cast Tempus. "Or early," he said, noticing the time. "Let's go back."

As they walked back to the castle, silence settled between them until Harry asked, "Would you be able to get to my house if I give you the address?"

Draco nodded.

"Alright, and I'll tell Ron and Hermione too, but I need to be picked up in a month after we leave, no later. If I need you to come earlier, I will send an emergency note with Hedwig."

"Okay," he said. "How do you want us acting towards each other the next few days?"

"Same as normal. Neither of us need to fight in public, but we can't be seen as friends yet. The only ones who will know, other than you and I, will be Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, and Ginny. They're going to help us with our plan. But don't ask familiar with them."

"Okay. Anything else?" Draco asked.

"Yeah," Harry took a deep breath. "Earlier, when Sirius died, a series of Death Eaters were there, and Voldemort was revealed – people know for a fact that he's back now. One of the Death Eaters there was your father. If you are sure that he will help us, that he will reform, and that he'll apologize to the Weasley's, I will get his trial moved until after the summer, and I can help him get off."

Draco's breath caught. "You would do that?"

Harry nodded. "If he could come up with a list of other Death Eaters would like to leave Voldemort's 'services', that would be great. He can tell me after my month at the Dursleys are up. Tomorrow I'll bump into you and pass you the address. Feel free to yell at me."

Draco nodded, and they reached the end of the Forbidden Forest. They could start to see the sun peaking up over the horizon.

"A new day," Draco breathed. "I don't think I've ever been more ready for the future."

"Even if our plan is nonexistent?" Harry teased.

"Even then." Draco looked at him seriously. "Thanks to you, there's a chance I will get out of this alive. Not just me either, but my family as well. I can never try to repay this debt."

Harry held up his hand. "I know you Slytherins think in debts and 'who owes who' but the more time you spend with me, the more you'll realize that debts don't count when it comes to friends. We don't do things for favors. We do things because we care."

"I think I would like that," Draco said quietly. "I don't think I've ever really had a real friend, which was why I was so upset when you spurned me."

"Well, you're my friend now, and I'm just warning you, I'll be bringing a lot of people with me."

"I'm fine with that," Draco said, smiling. "Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight, Draco."

The two went their separate ways and headed towards their dorms, as the sun rose above the mountains and a new day dawned.

xxx

Alright, let's get a few things straight:

1. This is a Drarry fic, with Creature Inheritance for Draco (probably Veela, but I'm open to suggestions) and Magical Inheritance for Harry (though I'm fine with adding in creature inheritance as well).

2. People on Harry's side are: Hermione, Ron and Entire Weasley Clan (with exception of Percy, cause he's a prick, and the addition of Fleur, through Bill), Neville, Luna, Draco, Draco's Parents (further explanation later), Blaise, Snape, Remus, Tonks, Dudley, and (although they do not play as big of a role) Kingsley, Mad Eye, McGonagall, and more (to be revealed). Take that to mean what you will.

3. Voldemort and Bellatrix are evil (as is Peter Pettigrew and the Carrow twins). Everyone else is up for grabs. You are allowed suggestions over who

you else you want to be good or bad. If you want any Death Eaters to switch sides, give 'em a shout out.

4. Ships are Draco/Harry, Ron/Hermione, and Lucius/Narcissa. Everyone else is, once again, up for grabs. Neville, Luna, Ginny, and Blaise are going to be together either as Neville/Luna and Blaise/Ginny, or Neville/Blaise, and Ginny/Luna.

5. This also may be M-Preg, that's also up for grabs (though I am leaning towards it).

6. Lily was NOT MUGGLEBORN, she was either a) adopted, or b) Petunia was a squib (once again, up to you guys).

7. As for Dumbledore, I'll give you three choices; Manipulative (but originally good) Dumbledore, Evil (powerhungry) Dumbledore, or SURPRISE (which is a personal twist that is neither and both of the above).

8. There will be no written smut. It's rated M because rape is mentioned (but not described) and because there's cursing and I'm paranoid.

Please review; the more reviews I get, the more I write, the more I post.

Sweet dreams, my lovelies. :)