Year Six: Harry Potter and the Secret Letters

Chapter 12: Like Father, Like Son

Warnings: You all seemed so confused about Draco's true feelings and intentions. I hope those last two chapters cleared things up for you all. (If not, read the reviews. Some awesome readers have taken the time to explain it for you. Thank you, PotentialDrowner; I'm looking at you.) Also, I will be re-writing the first two chapters from scratch due to complications I found in them. I will let you know when I finish that so you can go back and read them. It will be completely different than the current versions. Also, if you are a Snape fan, as many of you said that you are, I apologize ahead of time that I will not be moving him to the Light Side in this fic as most Drarry authors do. I hope that will not change your desire to read this. That having been said, enjoy the chapter-!

Wednesday morning brought word that there would be a quidditch match against Slytherin that weekend. Harry grimaced at the schedule over his pumpkin juice. He had been looking forward to the first match of the year, but the fact that it seemed to always be against the serpents put quite a damper on it. As much as he enjoyed the elation of beating Malfoy, he didn't feel up to dealing with their dirty play this week, the week everything appeared to be going downhill.

After Toadseye's declaration of the party, he had assigned a sixteen-inch essay on the properties of hellebore and its effects in different potions. He had also just finished a particularly cruel experience in Herbology where he almost lost his hand, and McGonagall set them early homework for the spell they were going to learn today—transfiguring canaries from thin air. On top of that, Ron and Hermione glared daggers at each other whenever they were in the same room, and Judas hadn't said a word to Harry since their discussion the previous night. And now he had quidditch to worry about.

Worse yet, quidditch without one of their best players, Katie Bell. A substitute would have to be found and trained immediately. He remembered Dean flying particularly well during tryouts and made a mental note to ask the boy after Transfiguration. However, that would mean three of his friends would be on the team, including Ron and Ginny. Other Gryffindors would begin to question Harry's decisions, claiming he wasn't being fair and only letting his friends on the team purely because they were his friends. Therefore, it would be essential that they beat the Slytherins that Saturday.

He glanced over his shoulder at the Slytherin table, instantly finding the blonde that he had spent years watching. Light circles shadowed silver eyes as he gazed blankly at the plate in front of him. Deep in thought about something he didn't wish to discuss, Malfoy didn't seem to notice the way Zabini, Pansy, and Nott glanced at him curiously and continued their conversation without him. In fact, he didn't seem to notice anything. The Prophet sat untouched beside him, and he was absently pushing his food around with his fork. He appeared a bit paler than usual, and generally ill.

Ron caught Harry's gaze drift across the Great Hall and followed his line of sight to Draco. "Bloody hell," the redhead grumbled under his breath, returning to his corn flakes. "Whatever his problem is, I hope it lasts until after Saturday's match. I'll take any help we can get."

"You shouldn't wish ill on people, Ron," Hermione scolded quietly. "It makes you no better than them."

"What are you playing at? I'm loads better than them!"

Harry turned back to his friends, tuning them out. He vaguely wondered what could be bothering the Slytherin, but was sufficiently distracted at the thought of telling the fact to Judas. The previous night's discussion had not gone as Harry had hoped. True, had Judas accepted his invitation, he would have had to prepare for the onslaught of confusion about his relationship with the boy. But instead, he was plagued with the doubts and frustration of having a secret kept from him by someone he trusted. There was something that Judas was hiding other than his real name, and the apprehension was unsettling. Could it be something harmless, like physical insecurities or nervousness, which made Judas hesitate? Or could it really be something serious? What could he possibly have to hide that made the secret admirer so afraid of Harry knowing? Albeit being a rather opinionated person, Harry considered himself to be accepting of others and their quirks. He was practically family to all of the Weasley children, after all, and being friends with the twins requires a bit of leeway. So what could it be?

All of his questions about his feelings for Judas were put on hold in light of his new concerns.

The brunette sitting across from him noted Harry's silence and the girl touched his wrist gently to bring him out of his thoughts. "Harry? You've been rather quiet. Are you alright?"

He realized his odd behavior and gave her a quick attempt at a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

She eyed him critically before cautiously asking, "Did something happen with Judas?" The way Harry perked up at the name gave himself away and she frowned pointedly.

"What happened?" Ron asked, leaning in a little so they could talk amongst themselves.

"Nothing. We just had a little… well, not a fight exactly, but—" Harry saw Hermione's frown deepen, suspecting that the admirer had done something hurtful and proven her right. He continued quickly, trying to sound as casual about it as possible. "It's really not important. I asked him to Toadseye's party and he said no. That's all."

"He what?" Ron's face clearly showed irritation that Judas' rejection meant he lost the argument he had with his girlfriend the day before.

"He says he's afraid we'll change once I meet him."

"Of course you will," the girl stated, pursing her lips. "Right now, he's just this person you've built up in your head. You've created him to be perfect and now he probably fears it, whether he's honorable or not. Every one would rather their loved ones think they're prefect rather than settle for being called average."

"I'm completely aware that he isn't perfect, Hermione," Harry defended with a little more sharpness than he meant to. He couldn't help the pang of hurt he felt at her words. Harry hadn't built Judas up; Judas was everything Harry thought he was. Every word the boy spoke was proof of it. He was intelligent and fair, passionate, humorous, and real. Especially real. Harry may have never laid eyes knowingly on the boy, but every pause and stutter in his words were driven by true emotions, and that was enough to convince Harry. "If he were perfect," he continued hotly, "we wouldn't be having this conversation because he would be sitting here eating with us." It was honest. Harry realized that what he really wanted from Judas was to hear those pauses in the boy's voice, not satisfied just to read them.

"Have you talked to him since then?" Ron asked, ignoring the pained look Hermione was sending her scarred friend.

"No, but it was only last night. I'll try to talk to him again tonight, after we're back in the dorm—"

Hermione suddenly stood and gave Harry a severe glare, succinctly cutting him off and intent on biting back just as sharply. "If he's so insistent on remaining secret for this long, then he obviously has something vital to hide. Most admirers give themselves up at the slightest hint of reciprocation, but he is flat out rejecting you. You are being ridiculous by trusting him at all." She grabbed her books and promptly left the Great Hall in the direction of their Transfiguration class. Ron looked after her as if he had half a mind to continue their argument from Herbology. Harry buried his face in his hands and rubbed his eyes, aggravated. He was so tired of people dictating who he should or shouldn't trust, should or shouldn't be friends with, should or shouldn't love.

Ron patted Harry's shoulder awkwardly, not really knowing how to comfort his best friend when it came to things like this. "Don't listen to her, mate. You know how she gets when she thinks she's protecting you. I'm sure Judas has his reasons for saying no to the party."

Harry raised an eyebrow at the other and sent him a sideways smile. "I'm fine, Ron. Really. It was just a disagreement."

The redhead shrugged and took another bite of his cereal, talking around his food with a curious crease in his brow. "Yeah, but you guys disagree on loads of stuff and never let it get to you. I mean, for starters, he actually likes Potions."

Grateful for the shift in topic, Harry scoffed. "I like Potions more now that Snape isn't the one teaching it."

Ron sent him a large, teasing smirk. "I bet you'd like it a lot more if Judas was the one teaching it. Then again, you might not be able to focus with the way you'd be staring at him—agh!" Harry elbowed his friend playfully making them both laugh at Harry's embarrassment. He enjoyed being able to joke about Judas, and his doubts of the admirer's secrets were forgotten for the moment. They finished their breakfast in high spirits and began to leave the hall together before Ron caught sight of Seamus at the end of the table. "Oh! Go on without me, Harry. I needed to ask Seamus about what he's scouted out at the Slytherin practices. See you in class."

Harry waved him off and crossed the castle to McGonagall's classroom. Hermione was sitting outside of it when he arrived, textbook open in her lap but not reading a word of it. He slowly approached her and, when there was no opposition from the girl, sat down beside her. He didn't know what to say, so allowed them to sit in silence for many long minutes. Finally, she seemed to lose her resolve and turned to Harry remorsefully. "I'm sorry, Harry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm just worried about you. You are such a kind person that you sometimes don't think that there can be rudeness in the world outside of the Death Eaters."

"Well stop worrying so much," he stated simply. "When have I ever put my trust in a person who I shouldn't have?"

She shifted a little as she thought, his casual tone lightening her mood. "I suppose you are a rather decent judge of character."

"Except for maybe when it came to you and Ron," he joked, sending her a smile. "I mean, you two do always seem to be around whenever I get in trouble."

She laughed, the tension abating. "Yes, but who is the one that is always leading us headlong into said trouble?" Harry gave her a guilty grin and they chuckled a bit before growing serious once more. She sighed, seemingly to gather the strength to concede defeat. "Listen, Harry, if you are really sure about this guy, then I'll trust you. I still have my doubts, but I know you know what you're doing."

"Thanks, Hermione."

They shared a smile, and then Ron rounded the corner. As soon as he saw the girl, the contented look on his face was replaced with an angry frown and he walked directly into the classroom without addressing her. Apparently, the problems Hermione had with Judas fed into something neither her or Harry understood. The two shared a brief glance and followed the redhead inside.

XXXXXXXXXX

Dean had happily accepted the position of Chaser and practice went somewhat smoothly, all things considered. Ron was a bit self-conscious and got himself mixed up a couple of times, Ginny was getting flustered at her brother's mistakes, and Dean wasn't as quick as Harry remembered. Still, they were able to function properly, and Harry couldn't ask for much more then that for now.

They had just returned to the dormitory. Ron jumped in the shower and Dean went off to find Seamus, who was peeved that Dean got the position instead of him. Harry thanked Merlin that Neville was down in the Common Room, which meant he had the dorm all to himself. Meaning he could talk to Judas freely. He pulled out the transfer sphere, biting his lip in happiness, eager to leave last night's disagreement behind and replace it with their usual chatting.

Plopping down on his bed lazily, he held the sphere in front of him and greeted the boy as he always did. "Hey, Judas." There was no immediate response, but there rarely ever was. It was normal for Judas to take a moment to realize Harry was talking to him, so the Gryffindor paid no heed to it and carried on, hoping to bypass any awkwardness the admirer thought may have lingered. "I wanted to apologize about what I said yesterday. I shouldn't have pressured you like that." This time he waited, letting his mind wander over the things he wanted to talk about as he watched the globe absently. After a minute, the sphere had remained empty, and Harry frowned at it. "Judas?" he asked again for good measure, but still did not receive a response.

Down in the dungeons, locked in his dorm due to the sheer lack of desire to speak to anyone, lay Draco. He was already in his pajamas and curled up under his blankets, thinking critically about the coming weekend and what would happen to him. He was already beginning to question his original plan to blame Zabini, and feared the options he was left with. The stillness of the room echoed his instability, and he could feel himself dropping lower and lower into his trepidation. And then the scent finally reached his nose. He had been expecting it all evening. Harry was talking through the transfer spheres, but Draco didn't make any move to withdraw the globe from beneath his pillow. The mere scent emitting from it stirred a longing in him, stronger than he wanted to admit. He had grown accustomed to the smell and his pleasant conversations with Harry being linked. Now, as the odor leaked its way through the fabric and fluff of his pillow, it evoked a deep craving for the Gryffindor's presence.

And that, in itself, was a problem.

Draco firmly resisted checking the sphere, even to quench his curiosity about if it was something important. No, he mustn't succumb. He had to stay in control. Whatever was forming between himself and Harry had to be restricted before it grew any further. Because the moment that Draco's desire for Harry became greater than his fear of the Dark Lord, the Malfoy heir's world would unravel into chaos.

Harry's calls went unanswered that night, and for many nights following.

XXXXXXXXXX

Harry kept replaying the conversation in his head. Well, as much of it as he could remember. Judas' sudden absence was disconcerting, and Harry's only conclusion was that he must have said something to upset or offend the admirer during their disagreement. But he couldn't remember what! Although he recalled being rather blunt and firm, he had forgotten most of the exact words that were exchanged. This only led him to believe, as he had done with many things in regards to other people's emotions, that he had completely overlooked something and was now stuck with an emotionally distraught boy somewhere in the castle.

He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. Hermione looked up from her book and offered him a sympathetic smile. "Still no response from Judas?" she asked. They were sitting in the Common Room opposite the fire. They were supposed to be working on their DADA essays, but Harry had been unable to focus.

"Not a word," he confirmed, flipping his copy of Confronting the Faceless closed with a defeated sigh. It was Friday, which meant that he had a quidditch game tomorrow. If he couldn't resolve the issue with Judas before the game, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to play at his best. "I don't know what I did, Hermione. I mean, if I upset him or not. I don't know what I'm supposed to do about it. I already tried apologizing for bringing it up in the first place, but nothing." After the second day of Judas' silence, Harry had told Hermione all the details of the disagreement he had with his admirer. She had found Harry's argument valid, and had assured him that Judas was probably thinking the same thing.

"He may just need time to evaluate what you had to say. It's only been a few days, after all."

"I just… I wish I knew how to help. I don't like him not talking to me."

Hermione found the frustrated pout on Harry's face to be endearing, and figured she should put the situation into perspective for her best friend. "There's nothing you can do right now except wait. Assuming everything we know about Judas is true, he's most likely in a very difficult position. He cares for you, and has adored you from afar for a long time. He finally summoned the courage to confront you about his feelings, and then everything happens so suddenly. Most admirers expect immediate rejection, which is why they choose to be secret. Your acceptance of him and his attraction to you probably caught him off guard, and now he's wrapped up in his self-doubt. He's shocked that you might actually reciprocate his feelings, nervous that he may not be all you want him to be, and scared half out of his mind about what will happen when the rest of the wizarding world discovers the affair. The best thing you can do is give him some space to sort through his confusion. He'll contact you once he's ready. Not everyone is as used to publicity as you are, Harry." She returned to reading her textbook, leaving the boy to blink at her, overwhelmed.

"I don't think I will ever get used to how emotionally attuned you are with people you barely even know."

She chuckled at the compliment, remembering the time she had done a similar analysis of Cho after her first kiss with Harry. "It's called being observant. You should try it sometime."

The corner of his mouth quirked up in an amused smirk just as the Common Room door opened, letting in a beaming redhead. The instant Hermione and Ron saw each other, the boy frowned at her and she rolled her eyes, gathering her books and murmuring a goodbye to Harry before joining Ginny and Romilda across the room. Apparently, the to had non-verbally broken up for the time being, which was doing nothing for calming Harry's already frayed nerves.

Ron waited until she had settled down with the other girls, still watching her like an angry crow, and then joined Harry at his table. The frown was immediately replaced with a huge grin. "You'll never believe this! So, I just heard from Seamus that he heard from Terry Boot that he heard from Harper that the Slytherin's best Chaser, Vaisey, was hit in the head with a bludger during their practice earlier today, and Madame Pomfrey says he can't play in the game tomorrow."

"That's brilliant, Ron." Harry hoped he sounded as excited and his friend wanted him to be, though quidditch was one of the furthest things from the Gryffindor Seeker's mind.

"There's more," he continued, his grin becoming a smirk that seemed to say he knew the juiciest piece of gossip and was savoring the taste. "Malfoy's sick and can't play either, so his mum called him home for the weekend to make sure it isn't related to the Hogsmeade incident!"

He had Harry's rapt attention at the mention of Draco's name and was immediately suspicious. Why would Draco pull out of quidditch last minute? He had claimed to be too sick to play once before, but the blonde had been sure to reschedule the game for a time that better suited the Slytherins. What would make him allow the team to play without him? Harry knew that Draco craved the challenge as much as he did. And though Gryffindor always won, Draco never gave up or weakened his resolve. That was what made him such an addictive opponent.

Quidditch swiftly lost its appeal.

XXXXXXXXXX

Draco took one last deep breath to collect himself before knocking on the door of his father's study. He had arrived nearly an hour earlier and had been waiting in his room for his father to call on him. He knew better than to disrupt the man while he was working, and was working on some homework he had brought with him when the house elf appeared in his room, claiming the man was ready for him.

"Enter," said a voice on the other side of the door. Draco ensured his face was pointedly blank before obeying.

His father sat at a large black desk, a candelabrum on one corner and a neat stack of journals on the other. In front of him were scattered documents from the Ministry concerning the current cases going through the courts. Although the man was technically in hiding, he did not allow the world to continue on without him. He had no intention of staying hidden away, and wanted his full social influences once he was back in the world. He eyes only left his paperwork to meet Draco's when he heard the door close behind his son. The flickering light from the candles highlighted his sharp jaw line, which was tight with the tension of a prideful man, and his gaze was as calm and refined as ever. "Sit down."

Draco did as he was told, and they shared a brief moment of knowing silence, agreeing that the discussion about to occur was of the utmost seriousness. When Lucius spoke again, his voice was steady and demanded truth with its poised fluidity. "Did you, or did you not, orchestrate an inept attack last Saturday involving a cursed opal necklace and a Miss Katie Bell?" he asked shortly.

"Yes, sir, I did."

"And why is that?"

"The professors have become suspicious of me."

Lucius regarded his son meticulously. Short and direct answers had always been the requirement of speaking to his father, but Draco could see the need for more details as the man struggled to add up his story. "Explain."

Draco relaxed slightly in his chair. His father was going to listen to his full story. That could only mean that the man was intent on helping his son escape the consequences of his mistake. Although his face remained strict, Lucius was willing to give his full support in helping his son survive the Dark Lord's retribution. "I have fallen behind in my studies," the boy began, a twinge of bitterness and shame tinting his voice at his admittance of failure. "I have been confronted about my academic decline on more than one occasion. However, I simply do not have the time to work on the cabinet and continue the same level of quality in my schoolwork. After receiving a detention for these exact reasons, I knew I would have to draw their attention away from me. I organized the acquisition of the necklace and arranged to have it brought onto Hogwarts grounds."

"Was Potter your intended target?"

"Whose hands it ended up in did not concern me," he lied. Honestly, he didn't even believe that it would make in onto the grounds. He could not stand the idea of it actually killing someone. Especially Harry. "I wanted it to be somewhat conspicuous, because my intention was for it to be discovered. The mere fact that it successfully got inside the school from Hogsmeade would lead the professors to believe the cause to be an outside source, or at least from a student who had been in Hogsmeade that day. Since McGonagall had sat with me herself during my detention Saturday, I knew I would have a solid alibi."

"Did it ever occur to you that this incident would cause them to heighten security around the school grounds?"

"What would it matter if they did? The Death Eaters aren't planning to use the front gate, after all." Draco quickly stopped talking. The questions were causing him to lose a little control of his manners and he let slip his sarcasm. That was not tolerated when directed towards his father. But the man did not seem to notice. His gaze had drifted to the bookshelf the Draco's left, not really seeing anything as his mind raced. The story was more honest than the boy had originally intended to disclose, and his father recognized it as such. The truth. Or as close to the truth as Draco was willing to admit. If that was not good enough to convince Voldemort… Well, that was why he needed his father right now.

Many moments passed without Lucius' eyes smirking with the solution Draco had been expecting. This caused the boy's nerves to arise and he shifted a little in his chair. The movement brought his father's gaze back to him and he spoke carefully.

"Draco, I am about to tell you something that I probably shouldn't. I warn you now not to anger. Such feelings towards the Dark Lord will only invite his wrath." Draco nodded in understanding, and his father continued. "He does not wish for Potter to die. In fact, he has no intention of killing Potter any time in the near future. The only reason he gave you this assignment for your initiation as a Death Eater is because he so doubts your dedication to the Dark Arts."

Draco's brow creased in confusion. "If he does not want Potter dead, then what does he want? What is the true purpose of the vanishing cabinet?"

"He wants the school. If he succeeds in getting his Death Eaters inside the castle, then he can stage an attack. Hogwarts is the one place we cannot break into. His two worst enemies are housed there, and those same two are the ones keeping us out. We must breech the school and capture them. That is the Dark Lord's wish."

"Capture them? You mean, he wants to hold them prisoner?"

"Not entirely. I'm sure he plans to kill Dumbledore as soon as possible."

Draco's mouth went dry. "And, what of Potter?"

"He'll keep him. Torture him and play with him, but keep him alive. Because he can't kill him."

Draco was finding it difficult to concentrate, let alone speak. Harry… kept as the Dark Lord's pet to torture whenever he pleased. The memory of screams echoing down the corridors of the Malfoy Manor over the summer filled his mind, and he deemed death a blessing in comparison. "Why… Why wouldn't he kill him? Just kill him and get it over with so there is no chance he'll escape?"

Lucius seemed to be having an internal debate. His loyalty and fear of the Dark Lord insisted that this information was not to be shared, and it could cost him dearly. But he was a father, and that instinct to protect his child was presenting a strong argument. But it was the promises of pride in seeing his son follow in his footsteps and becoming a Death Eater that won the battle in Draco's favor. The victory was slight and fragile, but enough. He stood and approached the bookshelf he had been gazing at earlier. Without looking at it, he pulled out a slender leather-bound tome, carried it behind his back and handed it to his son as he returned to his seat.

Draco immediately hid it on his lap and did not look at it. Keeping it out of sight was a clear indication that Lucius feared Voldemort using Legilimency and seeing the book he offered. Though the Dark Lord was a skilled Legilimens, he could not read in Lucius what he did not know. The likelihood of his father being read was fair, and Draco took extra caution to appear as if nothing had occurred.

"That is none of your concern. How is your progress coming along with the cabinet?"

"I can't find it," Draco answered, returning to succinct answers to preserve the façade.

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Can't find it?"

"I keep asking the Room of Requirement for it, but the door never appears."

"That is because you are asking the wrong questions. Remember, the person who put the cabinet there in the beginning was not looking for the cabinet. You are requesting an entirely different room than the one it is in."

"You mean I have to need the same thing as the original owner?"

"Precisely."

Draco's gaze fell to his folding hands in thought. What would he ask for if he had a vanishing cabinet that he needed to put somewhere…? "He would need a place to hide something. A place no one would find it."

Lucius gave him a satisfied smile that told Draco he had done well. The man looked back to his papers, the way he had been doing before his son's arrival, and no longer acknowledged his presence. "You may leave."

Draco stood, nodding to his father in respect, and turned to exit the office. At the door, he looked over his shoulder as he father grabbed one of his journals and mumbled, "Page one-hundred and twenty-seven." The man flipped to the corresponding page and made a quick note, never once glancing up at Draco. But the boy knew what he meant.

Author's Note/ So, yeah, I know it took me nearly three months to get this chapter up. I just moved across a few states and was busy settling in, searching for a job, and then working at said job. It took me a bit to get back into the swing of fanfiction. And once I did, I was completely craving some Puppy Shipping (SetoxJou – YuGiOh). So, yeah, it took me a while to get my head back in the world of Harry Potter. But once I did, this chapter just popped right out like it was nothing. I already have ideas for the next chapter, so I'll hopefully have that up within the next two weeks. My idea is that I will post one chapter for each of my pay-periods. Then it will kind of feel like I'm being paid to write fanfiction. Haha! Okay, okay, enough chatting. Love you all! Review?