Chapter Three

Harry pulled his cloak around himself as he, Ron, and Hermione walked out of the pub, following Katie Bell and her friend behind. It was Hogsmeade day, and Harry had just calmed down from Mundungus. As they trudged up the road to Hogwarts. His thoughts to Draco. He still continued to watch him through classes and meal times. Harry had wondered why he had talked to Draco when he had been nothing but a prat. But for just the briefest moment, he had hoped he could see the brother in him. But it was quickly squashed down when he saw the familiar sneer on the white-blonde's face.

He's a Malfoy, he kept repeating that on his head. But another voice said;

But he was raised as one.

Before he could thought that further, he was aware that the voices of Katie Bell and her friend, which were being carried back to him on the wind, had become shriller and louder. Harry squinted at their indistinct figures. The two girls were having an argument about something Katie was holding in her hand. "It's nothing to do with you, Leanne!" Harry heard Katie say.

They rounded a corner in the lane, sleet coming thick and fast, blurring Harry's glasses. Just as he raised a gloved hand to wipe them, Leanne made to grab hold of the package Katie was holding; Katie tugged it back and the package fell to the ground.

At once, Katie rose into the air, not as Ron had done, suspended comically by the ankle, but gracefully, her arms outstretched, as though she was about to fly. Yet there was something wrong, something eerie… Her hair was whipped around her by the fierce wind, but her eyes were closed and her face was quite empty of expression. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Leanne had all halted in their tracks, watching. '

Harry watched as Katie let out a terrible scream. She was six feet above the ground. Her eyes wide and her face in terror. Harry, Ron, and Hermione helped Leanne and seized Katie's ankles. She fell on top of them.

Harry and Ron lowered her to the ground gently as they could as Katie thrashed and screamed. Harry looked around in despair so he could call for help but the road was deserted.

"Stay there!" he shouted at the others over the howling wind. "I'm going for help!"

He began to run towards the school, but soon was collided with someone that was so big. He looked up and relief washed through him.

"Hagrid!" Harry cried.

"Harry!" Hagrid smiled. "Jus' bin visitin' Grawp, he's comin' on so well yeh wouldn' —"

"Hagrid, there's no time!" Harry quickly said as he panted air, "Someone's hurt back there, or cursed, or something—"

"Wha?"

"Someone's been cursed!" Harry said, panicking.

"Cursed? Who's bin cursed — not Ron? Hermione?"

"No, it's not them, it's Katie Bell — this way…"

Together they ran back along the lane. It wasn't long before they found Ron, Hermione, and Leanne who were all trying to quiet Katie, who was still screaming on the ground.

"Get back!" shouted Hagrid. "Lemme see her!"

"Something's happened to her!" Leanne cried, tears in her eyes. "I don't know what —"

Hagrid bent down and scopped Katie into his arms and ran off toward the castle with her. As Hermione comforted Katie's friend and as Leanne told them about the package Katie got it from the pub.

"I've seen this before," Harry muttered. He did. It was in Borgin and Burkes. He nearly chocked in shock when he realized it must have been Malfoy. He didn't hear the rest of the conversation. But he did pick up that it was cursed once you touched it and he had seen a glimpse Ron carefully taking the package.

All he could think was that Draco had done this. He was sure of it. He felt a shot of anger rushed through him.

"Malfoy did this! He knows about this necklace!" Harry started saying as they rushed towards Hogwarts. "It was in a case at Borgin and Burkes four years ago, I saw him having a good look at it while I was hiding from him and his dad. This is what he was buying that day when we followed him! He remembered it and he went back for it! I can't believe I didn't—"

"I — I dunno, Harry," said Ron hesitantly. "Loads of people go to Borgin and Burkes… and didn't that girl say Katie got it in the girls' bathroom?"

"But she said she came back from the bathroom with it, she didn't necessarily get it in the bathroom itself —"

"McGonagall!" said Ron warningly.

Harry looked up. Sure enough, Professor McGonagall was hurrying down the stone steps through swirling sleet to meet them. "Hagrid says you four saw what happened to Katie Bell — upstairs to my office at once, please! What's that you're holding, Weasley?"

"It's the thing she touched," Harry answered instead.

"Good lord," said Professor McGonagall, looking alarmed as she took the necklace from Ron.

"No, no, Filch, they're with me!" she added hastily as Filch across the entrance hall holding his Secrecy Sensor aloft. "Take this necklace to Professor Snape at once, but be sure not to touch it, keep it wrapped in the scarf!"

Harry and his friends—also Leanne—followed Professor McGonagall upstairs to her office. She turned to them.

"Well?" she said sharply. "What happened?"

Leanne tried to control her crying as she told Professor McGonaggal how Katie had gone to the bathroom in the Three Broomsticks and returned holding the package, how Katie seemed a little odd, and how they had argued about the advisability of agreeing to deliver unknown objects, and how they tussle over the parcel, which tore open. Then Leanne was overcome with emotion, she sobbed.

"All right," Professor McGonagall nodded, "go up to the hospital wing, please, Leanne, and get Madam Pomfrey to give you something for shock."

When she had left the room, Professor McGonagall turned back to Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"What happened when Katie touched the necklace?"

"She rose up in the air," said Harry, before either Ron or Hermione could speak, "and then began to scream, and collapsed. Professor, can I see Professor Dumbledore, please?"

"The headmaster is away until Monday, Potter," said Professor McGonagall, looking surprised.

"Away?" Harry repeated angrily.

"Yes, Potter, away!" said Professor McGonagall tartly. "But anything you have to say about this horrible business can be said to me, I'm sure!"

Harry did not hesitate to spit it out, "It was Draco Malfoy! He did it! He's the one who gave Katie that necklace, Professor."

Ron rubbed his nose in embarrassment while Hermione shuffled her feet as though quiet keen to put a bit of distance between herself and Harry.

"That is a very serious accusation, Potter," Professor McGonagall said, after a shocked pause. "Do you have any proof?"

"No," Harry shook his head, "but…" and he told her angrily about following Malfoy to Borgin and Burkes and the conversation they had over-heard between him and Mr. Borgin. When he had finished speaking, Professor McGonagall looked slightly confused.

"Malfoy took something to Borgin and Burkes for repair?"

"No, Professor, he just wanted Borgin to tell him how to mend something, he didn't have it with him. But that's not the point, the thing is that he bought something at the same time, and I think it was that necklace —"

"You saw Malfoy leaving the shop with a similar package?"

"No, Professor, he told Borgin to keep it in the shop for him —"

"But Harry," Hermione interrupted, "Borgin asked him if he wanted to take it with him, and Malfoy said no —"

"Because he didn't want to touch it, obviously!" Harry shouted angrily.

"What he actually said was, 'How would I look carrying that down the street?'"

"Well, he would look a bit of a prat carrying a necklace," Ron interjected.

"Oh, Ron," Hermione said. "it would be all wrapped up, so he wouldn't have to touch it, and quite easy to hide inside a cloak, so nobody would see it! I think whatever he reserved at Borgin and Burkes was noisy or bulky, something he knew would draw attention to him if he carried it down the street — and in any case," she pressed on loudly, before Harry could interrupt, "I asked Borgin about the necklace, don't you remember? When I went in to try and find out what Malfoy had asked him to keep, I saw it there. And Borgin just told me the price, he didn't say it was already sold or anything —"

"Well, you were being really obvious, he realized what you were up to within about five seconds, of course he wasn't going to tell you — anyway, Malfoy could've sent off for it since —"

"That's enough!" Professor McGonagall snapped, as Hermione opened her mouth to retort, looking furious. "Potter, I appreciate you telling me this, but we cannot point the finger of blame at Mr. Malfoy purely because he visited the shop where this necklace might have been purchased. The same is probably true of hundreds of people —"

"— that's what I said —" muttered Ron.

"— and in any case, we have put stringent security measures in place this year. I do not believe that necklace can possibly have entered this school without our knowledge —"

"But —"

"— and what is more," said Professor McGonagall, with an air of awful finality, "Mr. Malfoy was not in Hogsmeade today."

Harry froze, his mouth fell open, anger draining away as he deflated. "How do you know, Professor?" he asked.

"Because he was doing detention with me. He has now failed to complete his Transfiguration homework twice in a row. So, thank you for telling me your suspicions, Potter," she said as she marched past them, "but I need to go up to the hospital wing now to check on Katie Bell. Good day to you all."

She held open her office door. They had no choice but to file past her without another word.

Harry was angry with the other two for siding with McGonagall; nevertheless, he felt compelled to join in once they started discussing what had happened.

"So who do you reckon Katie was supposed to give the necklace to?" asked Ron, as they climbed the stairs to the common room.

"Goodness only knows," Hermione said. "But whoever it was has had a narrow escape. No one could have opened that package without touching the necklace."

"It could've been meant for loads of people," Harry said. "Dumbledore — the Death Eaters would love to get rid of him, he must be one of their top targets. Or Slughorn — Dumbledore reckons Voldemort really wanted him and they can't be pleased that he's sided with Dumbledore. Or —"

"Or you," Hermione said, looking troubled.

"Couldn't have been," Harry said, "or Katie would've just turned around in the lane and given it to me, wouldn't she? I was behind her all the way out of the Three Broomsticks. It would have made much more sense to deliver the parcel outside Hogwarts, what with Filch searching everyone who goes in and out. I wonder why Malfoy told her to take it into the castle?"

"Harry, Malfoy wasn't in Hogsmeade!" Hermione stomped her foot in frustration. "What is wrong with you Harry? You have been worked up with Malfoy and had been quiet some time?"

Harry growled, almost unable to hold his anger. "He's my brother, alright?!" he actually shouted his friends.

His two friends froze and stared at him. Ron's mouth fell open while Hermione furrowed her brows.

"What?" Ron managed to be the first one to broke out of his shock.

Harry sighed as he covered his face with his hand before looking at them, "He's my brother." He whispered.

"But—" Hermione said.

"Dumbledore told me a few weeks ago that my parents gave birth to twins. Malfoy was there the night my parents died. One of the Death Eaters took him and the Malfoys raised him."

"But he looks nothing like you!" Ron said.

"He's under a glamour charm, Dumbledore said." Harry shook his head. He started recounting his tale to them about Malfoy as his brother and that he was his fraternal twin, and it was kept a secret and not many people were aware of it. Only the Order of the Phoenix, Voldemort, and the Malfoys, except Draco.

"It must have sucked," Ron muttered as they walked down the corridor. "You're related to that git!"

"I know," Harry sighed.

"So did you tell Malfoy?" Hermione asked as they turned around the corner. Harry stared at her and she rolled her eyes. "Dumbledore told you tell him. It's been a few weeks so why haven't you told Malfoy?"

"Look that's not important, alright?" Harry said as they walked around the corner, unaware that Draco was hiding behind the pillar and had eavesdropped on them. His grey eyes held in confusion as the Golden Trio turned around the corner.

Author's Note: Cliffhanger ;) I had hoped that Harry would just quickly fire a Sectusempra spell early since the whole revelation changed the story just a bit, but then it would have happened if Draco was at Hogsmeade at that time. The idea belongs to Storm Music in his/her "The Bond of the Brothers" where Harry had quickly fire that spell early.

I had debated a few times how much Harry would have reacted. Would he have been a bit quiet or would he have reacted a lot more than the books since he had the knowledge that Draco was his brother? I honestly don't know. Even if I try to imagine in his shoes. I wanted to see one time when he reacted quite a lot when it comes to his family. I settled that he reacted a lot since his hopes that he could find a brother in Draco was squashed down. He's not wary anymore. In his head, Draco is a Malfoy. And Harry had come to accept that Draco could not be family in his eyes despite the blood.

In this story, you might notice Harry did not hesitate to tell McGonagall what happened. There had been slight changes and how Harry said it now. He's angry than the books and had spilled out his secrets to his friends. Finally! I originally did not plan to do that but considering Harry's temper, he did.

I had studied Harry's character and personality and I personally believed Harry would have been able feel positive towards Draco. And push past the dislike he felt for Draco. He is the type of person to go what he truly believed and do what is right. I'm not saying he would have felt love towards Draco the instant he learned the truth or trust him, but he would have felt a connection to Draco and that was, for the first time, he didn't feel alone. He had someone. And that's related through blood.

But Harry is a bit impulsive and is hot-tempered. But he is also compassionate and would have felt a sense to push past the hatred and those childish bullies of Draco. He has a strong awareness. It would have been Ron who would be all denial. But it doesn't seem right to make the story easy and making Harry hope. Plus the knowledge of Draco's true heritage just increased his obsessiveness to find out what Draco is up to.

You are probably annoyed that Harry hasn't had a courage to tell Draco the truth.

I found a solution why the Wizarding World is not much aware of the existence that Harry has a twin brother. 1 – They were in war. So the whole thing was never organized and Death Eaters were almost everywhere. So there is of course no time for gossip and let's just say Death Eaters were also around the Ministry. 2 – Dumbledore had suspicion and had told the Order of the Phoenix not to tell Harry. I mean, they never told Harry that Sirius was his godfather. It's not realistic, but it's the only thing I could come up with.

This fanfic would have been a lot better if I was given a lot of time to throw more ideas so I could make it more different than the book.

Anyway, plz review?