The Magic Theory

Chapter Two: When in Malfoy Manor…

Disclaimer: JK owns anything recognizable! Here's Chapter 2…

Harry's POV

I didn't believe it when I received the invitation. I didn't believe it as I straightened my dress robes. I didn't believe it as I sipped from a glass of wine that was handed to me by a house elf wearing what looks like a dish towel. (Not the most pleasant sight I might add.)

I knew someday I would look back to this party and wonder why the hell I had decided to come. Somehow, it was still the type of party I had felt obligated to attend after the war. It felt just as stuffy, but that might have been because everyone was staring directly… At… Me. I had to admit that it was partially my fault for disappearing for two years, then appearing at Knockturn Alley, and then showing up at a party at Malfoy Manor.

I considered finding the nearest restroom and Apparating back home, or even to my lab, but before I could act on any such thought, Narcissa Malfoy was approaching me and it was too late. It just had to be Narcissa Malfoy, didn't it?

"Mr. Harry Potter, welcome to Malfoy Manor. I hope you are enjoying yourself?" I tried to find a hint of insincerity in her tone or even her expression, but it was difficult. Not impossible, but difficult.

I plastered on a fake smile and decided I could stick around for nothing else than to collect data. "Yes, I was quite surprised by the invitation, but I appreciate the thought of including me. My return hasn't been accepted well by everyone, but hopefully this will help a bit." I could see that she had also been looking for a hint of insincerity, but was also finding it difficult. Probably even more than me seeing as my final sentence was completely true. I doubted my attendance at the party help any with the Weasleys, but it was unlikely that anything could help that situation.

"Well," she said, in a way that I knew she was about to end the conversation, "it was a pleasure, and please enjoy yourself." I nodded and she walked away to talk to another man.

As she walked away, I took the chance to escape to a secluded corner of the vast ballroom—might as well get on with the research if I was going to stay. I closed my eyes for a moment, allowing my magic to flood them. When I opened them again, there was a blue overlay to the room. Though specific facial and other physical features became unclear, it gave me a clear look at each person's magical core. I looked to the area where Narcissa walked and scanned the room from there. There was practically no one even worth a second glance. I didn't even bother trying to pull the magic back to my core, though my hope in finding anyone worthwhile in this room was already diminishing. But, I supposed I wouldn't know until everyone was thoroughly checked.

Despite my skepticism towards blood purity disputes, I had hoped for better from a room full of mostly Purebloods. There was some basis to the madness of "Pureblood".

Not long after my first scan of the room, I decided to move to my original plan of finding a more secluded place and Apparating away. Just as I began to close my eyes though, trying to rein in the magic, I saw the figure.

Not for the first time, I cursed that particular Sight for its drawbacks concerning the lack of clarity in anything but magical cores. The figure was taller than me, if the place where their magic ends was to be trusted—so they were, more likely than not, male. They walked with an air of confidence (again, if the amount of sight provided could be trusted). The last thing the Sight told me was…that the figure was walking directly towards me.

I closed my eyes again and worked to pull the magic back towards my core and preserve it (much more difficult than it sounds, but more effective than releasing it). I had to identify this person, especially with how quickly they were closing in.

The first thing I registered when I opened my eyes was that he was looking, no staring, at me. Then my eyes widened as I realized who he was.

It had to be Draco Malfoy.

It had to be Malfoy who had so much magic just below the surface of his skin, just waiting to be released. Maybe, that was it. Maybe, the overflow of magic was caused by the lack of usage—that had to be it. But, if that was it, it would have gone against any discoveries I had made in the past two years. At the same time, Malfoy could not be who I needed to work with. I couldn't ask Malfoy to help; no matter how unlikely it was that I would find someone even close to his potential. (Of course, that was all it was, at that point. Potential: I didn't even know if it could be properly tapped.)

I felt frozen to the spot by his calm gaze. I recognized that calm gaze. If he was able to convince me to go anywhere with him, that calm gaze was going to implode. (Must we always return to our Hogwarts characters?) When he arrived in front of me, I could see him glance around and strategically place himself so his back was towards his mother.

"Potter."

That one word brought all the animosity back to the surface, and I couldn't connect this man to the form of such concentrated magic I had been watching at less than five minutes ago. It was impossible.

"Malfoy." I spat the word at him—I didn't need to give any indication towards my inner turmoil.

He nodded once, recognizing the years of animosity that were underlying that one word. "Follow me, if you would, please." I had been genuinely surprised by the "please" until he turned on his heel and walked away without even waiting for my response. Self-righteous git, I thought to myself.

Nevertheless, and against my better judgment, I followed not him but the magical figure that amazed me, barely resisting the urge to close my eyes as motivation.

I followed him onto one of the balconies I hadn't even realized were placed around the ballroom, surprisingly inattentive of me—especially given my recent habits. He waited by the door as I stepped onto the balcony and closed it, raising Silencing and locking spells (I barely resisted the urge to knock down the charms and leave at that moment.), and turned to face me with unbidden fury in his eyes. Upon further inspection, I saw another emotion I had not expected to see in those eyes: curiosity.

"Would you like to explain to me what the bloody hell I just saw in there, Potter?" Apparently, it had been his turn to spit my name. It became obvious that he wasn't even aware of his own potential as I felt uncontrolled waves of magic pouring from him.

"I can assure you I don't know what you are talking about, Malfoy." I responded calmly (though I felt anything but), with the fake sincerity that his mother had found so difficult to look past. All that was going through my mind, though, was a reprimand about the lack of control and the waste of the magic flowing through the air.

I had known exactly what he is talking about, though. When I used the specific Sight I had used that day, in response to the blue overlay to my sight, a blue web appeared across my eyes that would have been obvious to anyone who had given me more than a passing glance. Every other guest at the party had looked at me only in passing to appear as if they weren't. Malfoy, of course, had had no such qualms.

"Potter, I know you're daft, but surely this is beyond even your level of ignorance. You know bloody well what I am talking about, and I am going to hex you into oblivion if you don't explain. Now." The up in the magical strength gave me no doubt that he would have a good try at executing the threat.

A potentially dangerous thought passed through my mind, and before I could fully think through the implications, I said, "Are you sure you want to know, Malfoy? You might regret it." He gave me another 'You're daft, Potter' look, and I shrugged and rolled my eyes, a weak attempt at nonchalance. It worked in causing him to narrow his eyes just a bit more. "Fine, but I can't tell you here. Can you meet me in front of Fortescue's tomorrow at noon?"

Malfoy's jaw literally dropped. The waves of magic stopped as suddenly as they had begun. His mouth opened and closed, making him look like a fish out of water. Taking advantage of the time it takes him to regain his composure; I began to wonder if the whole suggestion was a mistake. Surely Malfoy couldn't be the only wizard of his level I would be able to find. The fact that I found him would be worthless if I killed him ten minutes into the work.

Before I could voice this, his Malfoy mask was back in place and he said, "Fine." He didn't let me speak again. He turned on his heel, his robes flaring around him in a way that would have made Snape proud, and returned to the party.

I didn't bother trying to follow him. I turned on the spot and Apparated home. The rest of the night was spent going over the events of the party in my mind and wondering why I had attended in the first place. One question reigned the center of my mid throughout the night, though.

What have I gotten myself into?

*) o_0_O_0_o (*

Five minutes before the hour, I was waiting outside the ice cream shop, pretending I didn't feel the eyes of everyone in the Alley on me. In retrospect, I should have been expecting it, but the experience was disconcerting nonetheless. I had to physically stop myself from sending Confundus charms at everyone who looked my way or charming on glamours by crossing my arms across my chest.

I pretended as if I couldn't feel the stares intensifying as Malfoy showed up and walked towards me. It was extremely easy to catch sight of the white-blonde hair from across the alley, which caused even more confused stares as my focus was directed at Malfoy. As Malfoy stopped in front of me, the all-important question passed through my head once more. What have I gotten myself into?

Malfoy raised an eyebrow in that infuriatingly Malfoy way. Without saying anything, I motioned with my head that he should follow me and began moving away from the ice cream shop. Before I could walk more than five steps, he grabbed my arms and turned me to face him. I felt my magic move down my arm, without making the conscious decision to send it, and he cursed while letting go of my arm. "I am not going anywhere with you until you tell me what the bloody hell is going on, Potter."

I glared at him. I reminded myself that I controlled my magic and felt it retract once more. When I was sure I had full control once more, I responded. "Malfoy, don't. I don't have time for this. If you really want to know anything, you'll shut up and follow me."

He stared once more at my attitude for a moment before the Malfoy glare returned full force. "I want to know everything, Potter." And the sneaky ferret returned—as if he had ever left.

I rolled my eyes and continued to walk away. This time he didn't pull me back. "Come on, Malfoy." I called when I didn't immediately sense him following me.

For the rest of the walk, he remained a step or two behind me and didn't speak again. I suspected that it had been a great accomplishment for both of us; him finally shutting up and me succeeding in causing that silence. I sensed his curiosity peaking when we turned onto Knockturn Alley. Most of the alley had been abandoned immediately after the war so I (we) didn't have to walk far before finding a secluded enough spot. We were near the storefront where Borgin and Burke used to be located. I hadn't needed to see Malfoy's face to know he recognized that fact.

I turned around suddenly and had the chance to see the mask slip into place. His eyes, though, told me he still needed a few more seconds to fully recover. I didn't give him that respite. It seemed as if the more time I spent with him, I discovered more things he would need to be conditioned in.

"I'll need to Side-Along you."

Just those five words sent him reeling again. "Bloody hell, Potter. You're mad if you think I'll let you take me anywhere. Just tell me where we are going and I'll get myself there." He seemed to have forgotten about the Malfoy stare completely, anger rolling off of him once more. I winced internally.

"I'm not telling you anything, Malfoy. At least not until we are somewhere secure." I made sure to emphasize those two sentences before moving on. "Now, I'm Disapparating right now, with or without you. It really is your choice whether or not you want answers." He looked to be considering it intensively. Meanwhile, I had still been deciding whether I really wanted him to know or not. It would be so simple to walk away and delete his memory. In the end, it came down to his magic. "Keep in mind, Malfoy. This is your one and only chance. I could decide to disappear again, perhaps forever, after this moment."

His eyes told me the exact moment when he decided. If I hadn't already known of the strength of his core, that moment would have given it away. The strongest wave yet flowed out of him and I resisted the urge to stumble at the force. (Maybe there had been some merit to Hermione's concerns about my magic.) I felt his resignation, but mostly his curiosity at its peak.

He took a deep breath to steady himself and nodded; his glare was still firmly in place. The waves were much less forceful but still not under complete control.

Without another word, I held out my arm and he grasped it. I cleared my mind and thought of my one complete sanctuary. Magic flooded my body and the world went dark for an instant.