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Chapter 4

Enemies and Allies Revealed

Draco inspected the room around him. It was a shabby place compared to the Malfoy Manor, but decent. The rooms were a bit dark for his tastes, and the decorations were hideously mismatched. It made Draco wonder if the person who decorated it was sane. First of all, the couch was green, while the chairs and table were colored a dark orange. There were also a couple of leather chairs in the corner. It was a strange sight for the blonde. Not only did the colors not match, the furniture was off too. He was just about to make a rude comment when Molly Weasley spoke.

"Please, have a seat, Draco." She ushered him on one of the chairs. It was as uncomfortable as it looked. "The others should be here soon."

It made Draco smirk as Harry and Ron walked right in at that moment. "I was just wondering what insane fool would decorate this distasteful room. Not only does it lack style and elegance, it brings about a sense of…how may I put this… disgust and repulsion. How can you stand living here, Potter?"

"I'd shut my mouth if I were you, Malfoy." Harry gritted his teeth, trying very hard not to resort to violence. He had promised the others he'd keep a calm demeanor around the slytherin.

"Yeah, before I hex you till your-" Ron was interrupted with a stern look from his mother. "Just remember you don't have your wand, Malfoy."

"Ron, you behave yourself. I'm going to trust you to get along with each other. I have business in the other room." Mrs. Weasley said as she exited.

Draco ignored the redhead and proceed to annoy Harry. "So, where's your third wheel? I thought you three were joined at the hip."

Hermione came in behind Harry, carrying a tray of food. She set it on the table, while keeping an eye on the blonde. "Hello Draco." She said coldly.

"Granger. I see you haven't changed much. Still a lowly muggle, I see." Draco said in a superior tone. He had refrained from calling her a mudblood, not wanting to start a real fight when he was trying to patch things up. But still, he could see the girl's fist clench in anger.

"That's enough. We are here to discuss your future, Draco. It would be better to not insult anyone here." Hermione sat down.

"Old habits die hard, you know. And it's not exactly like we've ever been friends." Draco said with the same tone of voice. He would back down for now, but it doesn't mean that he was going to like it. He took an apple from the tray and bit into it. "So, do all of you live here now or only Potter? I simply can't imagine all of you will fit. Although it would explain the unsightly decorations."

"What was that supposed to mean?" Ron said in a dangerous voice.

Draco was about to open his mouth to say something about the Weasleys being poor, therefore unable to afford having any good tastes. However, Draco looked into Harry's cheerless eyes. It brought him back to reality. He was no longer a child, playing word games and being entirely immature about this. He came here for help. He came here so that Voldemort would not kill him and his family. There was more than his pride at stake here. "If you can't figure it out, then I'm not going to tell you."

"Huh?" Ron replied stupidly.

Draco smiled. He'll let Weasley think whatever he wants. "So, Potter. You haven't answered my question."

"I don't have to answer any of your questions, Malfoy. In fact, I think it's the other way around. You're here to answer my questions." Harry glared at the Slytherin.

"You already have Snape answering your questions in the other room. Why don't you go eavesdrop for some answers?" Draco said sullenly. He hated the fact that although Draco could insult them all he wanted, they ultimately had the upper hand. He took a glass of juice from the table and started drinking. Draco didn't have time for breakfast, and this whole ordeal was draining enough.

"Draco-" Hermione started as the blonde put the cup on the table. Her eyes were wide.

"What?" Draco questioned the girl.

"You, uh, weren't supposed to drink that." Hermione had a guilty look on her face.

Draco had a sinking feeling. "Don't tell me…" By the look on Hermione's face, Draco was almost sure that he had just drank Veritaserum.

"No one told you to drink that." Harry said as he sat across from Draco. He let his face soften as he looked at the other boy.

Ron was the only one looking confused. "Drink what? Isn't this just orange juice? What could be bad about that? I mean, unless it's expired."

"Oh, god. Only you can be this dumb." Draco said to Weasley. He hadn't meant to say it, but the potion was working. "Can you please get him out of here? I don't think I can stand his stupidity right now."

Harry didn't know why, but he was agreeing with Draco for once. Ron still didn't know what was going on and with Draco this vulnerable, it was not a good thing to have him in here. Although Harry had never cared for the Malfoy heir, Ron could be dense and insensitive sometimes, and this was a particularly delicate situation.

Harry gave Hermione a pleading look. Luckily for Harry, Hermione knew immediately what he was thinking. She nodded as she stood next to Ron. "C'mon, Ron. Let's go get some food."

"Yeah, I'm hungry, but what is going on?" Ron almost yelled.

Harry muttered thanks to Hermione. "I kind of want to talk with Malfoy alone." He said this to Ron.

"But he could be dangerous! He's attacked you before. I can't allow you two alone." Ron was protective of his best friend. He didn't trust Malfoy at all.

"I have a wand and he doesn't. I can immobilize him before he even has a chance to think about attacking me. Please, Ron?" Harry asked. He didn't know why he wanted to protect Malfoy like this. But looking at the Slytherin's stubborn eyes, he knew. Underneath that 'I'm better than you' façade, was someone who has emotions, who feels pain and happiness and pleasure just as he does.

"Fine, but if you get hurt or killed, don't blame it on me." Ron said as he followed Hermione out.

"Thanks, Ron." Harry said.

"You didn't have to do that just for me. I thought you hated me. Why would you like to spare me any embarrassment?" Draco asked. He felt a strange emotion, like the warmth of the welcoming summer sun. He looked at Harry and felt as if he could tell the-Boy-Who-Lived his entire life story. 'It's just the potion.' He reminded himself.

"I don't hate you. Don't take me wrong, Malfoy. I don't like you either. Unlike you, I'm actually a nice person." Harry glared at the blonde.

"Define nice, Potter." Draco returned the glare. The two boys looked at each other for a few minutes, neither willing to back down.

"I don't have to explain anything. Why did you decide to come join us on the side of the light? Got tired of your dark lord?" Harry asked in a venomous voice, momentarily forgetting that Draco was still on the truth potion.

"I don't regard it as the side of the light, or whatever you put it, Potter. I'm just doing what I think is right. You may not think of me as one of the good guys, but I don't consider myself evil. I don't enjoy killing or hurting people. And before you go judging me, you have to know me first. I don't think you grasp the true meaning of being a Malfoy." Draco said. He knew he was talking way too much, but he couldn't help himself. The words just came out.

"Then what is the meaning of being a Malfoy?" Harry's voice became a bit gentler. He suspected that Draco didn't like being on Voldemort's side, but he never thought the other boy would confess. Then again, if Malfoy wasn't on the truth potion, he probably won't.

"I was raised differently. My father always said that Malfoys weren't like other people. Being a Malfoy, I had to be great. I didn't just have to be better; I had to be the best. And being the best meant that everyone else was below me. He drilled into my young mind that even though we were better than the other families, they were still pureblood. It was the ones with the tainted blood that was destroying our society; they were endangering our way of life. I was young and naïve. I believed him. I mean, who wouldn't? He was my father, my idol. I was practically forced into taking that dark mark. I had no other choice." Draco stopped abruptly. He was about to say more, but that was enough. He didn't like other people knowing about his worries and his inner feelings. "Any other questions? Better ask now, before this potion wears off." Draco said angrily.

"You really have the dark mark?" After hearing that, Harry decided to forgive the blonde for now. He came to ask for help, so there wasn't any point in acting all hostile towards each other.

"Yes." Draco narrowed his eyes. He didn't want to think about the horrid thing on his arm.

"Can I see it?" Harry asked in wonder.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I want to forget about that vile mark! Why do you think I'm asking for the Order's help now? I don't want that dreadful feeling to come across me every time the mark glows. I don't want to anticipate the things He would ask me to do." Draco quickly covered his mouth. He really didn't mean to say all that.

A moment passed. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Draco asked heatedly, still mad at himself for blurting out such things.

"I shouldn't have asked those questions. You're still under Veritaserum's power. I feel that I've taken advantage of your state of mind." Harry couldn't meet Draco's eyes. The silver-blue orbs burned accusingly at the dark-haired boy.

"Whatever, Potter. But let's make it clear that you have not taken advantage of me. That just sounds so wrong, coming from you." Draco grabbed another fruit from the tray and started eating again. It seems that their private conversation has ended for now.

A knock on the door made Draco drop his fruit. It was so silent in the room that the knock was rather jolting. Hermione and Ron came in, both taking in the scene before them, expecting the two boys in a fight. But to their surprise, they haven't killed each other yet.

"Mum made some food if you're hungry." Ron said, placing some toast and eggs, with real orange juice this time, on the table. "So uh, what have you two been talking about?" He was met with two sets of glares.

"Well, since you're still on that potion, I have a few questions to ask, Malfoy." Hermione sat down. She wanted an explanation of why the Order wasn't turning Snape and Malfoy in yet.

"She told me about the potion." Ron said sheepishly.

"Alright, first question. What was your mission for You-Know-Who last year? What were you supposed to do?" Hermione demanded.

"I was supposed to find a weakness in Hogwarts, someway so that the dark lord could attack the school. My other task was to kill Dumbledore himself." Draco said in monotone.

"But…He couldn't possibly expect you to actually kill Dumbledore. He's a much powerful wizard than you!" Ron blurted out, his eyes wide.

"I know that, Weasley. I think it was a kind of revenge. My father had displeased him. Voldemort wanted that prophecy badly, but Lucius ended up having it destroyed instead. Since my father is in Azkaban, the dark lord had no other way of punishing my father, so he decided to kill off his only heir."

"That's horrible!" Hermione gasped.

"Yeah well, I'm still here, so don't fret too much about it." Draco said. "That's not all though. I might as well tell you guys this. You're going to hear it anyways. I can't believe I'm being so generous."

"Tell us what?" Harry asked. "Is it about Dumbledore?"

"I've always disliked him. Dumbledore, he stood in the way of what we Malfoys wanted. He always thwarted our plans. And to let muggles in the school, we all thought it was preposterous! But you know, I regret saying all those awful things about that old man, because he died saving my life."

"Snape killed him. You were about to do it. I was there." Harry said emotionlessly.

"It was his plan to die." Draco continued his story. He told them what Severus had told him a couple of months ago. They all listened closely, not quite willing to believe, but knowing that it must be the truth. Finally, Draco finished and silence hung in the air.

Ron was the first one to break the silence. "I don't believe it! He would've told someone!"

"And he did. He told Snape." Draco stated. He didn't understand how Potter and Granger stand Weasley. The redheaded boy was so dense!

Harry, however, believed every word. Although dying was the ultimate sacrifice, Dumbledore was deeply devoted to the people around him. He was the kind of person to look after his own people; he would never let them down. And planning such a devious plot, it had Dumbledore's name written all over it. Thinking back to what Draco had told them, it was really the only way to act. Perhaps they could've found some loophole so that Dumbledore didn't have to die, but they didn't have time for it.

"You know, Severus told me that Dumbldore lived his life proudly, with no regrets. You guys shouldn't be too heart broken." Draco said softly as he looked into Harry's eyes.

"Thanks." Harry answered. After listening to those words from the blonde, Harry was beginning to think that maybe Draco wasn't so bad after all.