Disclaimer: You cand find it right at the beginning of chapter 01.

Rating: R

A/N: This is where Harry really realizes a lot of things about himself and Draco.

Ch25

Harry was going insane without any news from Draco. His incompetent detective was only costing him high expenses, but he had yet to give him some valuable information about Draco. Two weeks after his conversation with Lucius, he was about to go to Africa himself when he received an e-mail from Mr Blunter. He clicked the message and saw many pictures attached to it, all of them of Draco.

Harry quickly began to open them all, and at each click he got more and more stunned by what he saw. In most pictures, he saw Draco dressed only in jeans, a brown shirt and a white tee underneath it. He was also wearing a brown cap, which made him look like a kid. He was always surrounded by people, especially children. He saw Draco smiling as he carefully held a very tiny baby in his arms while he sucked a bottle of milk avidly. Harry watched, amazed, as the wizarding pictures moved. Draco helping a bony pregnant woman getting in a big tent with the words HOSPITAL written across an improvised sign; Draco talking to volunteers of the Red Cross, and then those of the United Nations; Draco playing football with a bunch of tiny kids that looked like they could barely stand, but that were smiling happily as they played with him. There were many photos like these.

Harry saved them all on his computer, and then read Mr Blunter's email explaining what the pictures meant.

'…Mr Draco Malfoy spends most of his money helping the poor people in Africa, especially women and children. He's been trying to keep as many health tents as he can running, but every now and then they are destroyed by rival tribes and weapon dealers. He has to keep coming back and rebuilding everything again. He's risked his life many times as he's been doing this. The governors and the rebels don't like him. Some actually support his work here, which is why he's still able to set foot in Somalia. But he's a wanted man. There's a high prize for his head. His friends of the Red Cross are trying to convince him to go back to London, but he refuses to go. There's a little girl he's got quite attached to. He saw her mother give birth to her and die. He named her Amelia, and he's been taking care of her personally. She's very little and she was born with many health problems. She's doing ok, though.

Mr Potter, although you warned me to keep a low profile, and even said that Mr Malfoy might try to trick me into believing something that it isn't true, this isn't just for show. He really cares. Those people are quite real, and he makes a great difference in their lives. I myself have participated in one of the volunteers' food distribution. It's a wonderful experience. I resign myself from the job now, as I'm helping Mr Malfoy with the remedies distribution as well. He's trying to use magic here as much as possible without the Muggles noticing, and he's quite good at making potions and restoratives. The locals call him 'sorcerer' without knowing that he actually is one.

In my opinion, your company won't be damaged by associating with him, quite the contrary...'

Harry was really shocked by everything he read and saw. He couldn't believe that Draco had changed that much. He wondered whether all of those pictures were real, if they were just very well assembled montages. But Mr Blunt had assured him that they weren't. Besides, he didn't think Draco would go through all that trouble just to trick him.

Although a part of him was still suspecting that the whole thing was a sham, a bigger part of him believed in everything he saw. And if that was so, he had acted terribly with Draco. He buried his fingers in his hair and rested his elbows on the table. His heart hurt painfully. He could barely breathe.

Ron entered his office that same moment, and his friend quickly came to his side to ask him if he were ok.

"What's wrong, Harry?"

"It's Draco…" Harry answered, showing him the images on his laptop.

"Malfoy?" Ron looked at everything, and then he read Mr Blunt's e-mail. He made the same face as Harry had a couple of minutes ago. He was astounded by the news. But he immediately discarded everything as mere rubbish. "Do you believe in this? Don't you think this is very convenient for him? I can't believe he's such a nice person. Not Draco Malfoy. It's surreal!"

"It is surreal. But I don't think it's rubbish. Those pictures are real."

"You don't know that! You said Mr Blunt wasn't a very good detective! Malfoy probably convinced him to trick you with those! That isn't the Draco Malfoy we know, Harry! It can't be."

"But what if it really is him?" Harry asked. "What if he really has changed? What then?" Harry was mostly asking those things to himself. He had been duelling with himself ever since he had seen Draco again. He had remembered about a lot of things he had purposely forgotten. He was reminded of what it was to love someone to an unbearable degree.

He wanted to believe in Draco. He wanted to see him, to talk to him, to kiss him and hold him again.

Those pictures were a blow on his stomach. They just showed him how Harry had been wrong about Draco, and mostly about himself. He had thought of himself as so righteous and brave, the epitome of virtue and value. He wasn't any of those things. He was just a miserable man trapped in the past.

He felt the pain in his heart again, and he wondered if he was having a heart attack.

"Harry! Are you ok?" asked Ron worriedly as he saw his friend turn very pale.

"Yeah. I think I'm fine…"

But he wasn't. He was a wreck.

"So he's a saint now," Ron said as he looked at the pictures again. "It's hard to believe. But this doesn't change anything. He's still a bastard in my eyes."

"What if…" Harry began carefully, gaze distant. "What if this does change everything?"

Ron frowned. "You're talking in riddles. How does that change anything?"

"Ron! He's been doing something great! He's been helping those who are really in need! And it appears that he has been risking his life to do so! How can you say this doesn't change anything?"

"Well, it doesn't! He almost killed me! And he killed my sister!"

Harry recoiled at that, but even so he said, "He didn't kill Ginny. His father did. And I told you, he didn't mean to kill anyone in Hogwarts! He was confused and lost. He didn't know what he was doing. Voldemort was threatening his family!"

"Harry!" Ron was horrified. "Do you hear yourself speaking? You're defending him! So what if Voldemort was threatening his family? They all deserved to die!"

But Harry didn't think like that anymore. His anger and hatred had been subsiding day after day. He could see more clearly that Draco hadn't had a choice in the past. He had been a victim of the circumstances. They all had been victims. Draco had made a mistake by setting Lucius free from Azkaban, but he couldn't have predicted his father's steps after that.

Harry stood up suddenly. There was something he had to do. He couldn't postpone that moment any longer. He had to go to Azkaban to talk to Lucius Malfoy, and clear Draco's part in Ginny's murder once and for all. They didn't use Veritaserum in his trial because the court hadn't thought necessary. But Harry needed it now. It was the only way to make Lucius speak the truth without hiding anything.

"Harry?" Ron called him.

"I've got to go," Harry said.

"Where?" Ron asked, bewildered. "You're not well, Harry. I think this matter was too much for you. Do you want me to…?"

"No!" Harry cut him off angrily. "You don't get it. I need to know. I'm tired of hiding from the truth. I need to know what really happened! I've got to talk to Remus and Tonks."

"Why? Where are you going?"

"Azkaban. And… Bugger! I'll have to get in touch with him again…" Harry cursed.

"Him? Who? What're you talking about? Why are you going to Azkaban?" Ron asked.

"I have to see Lucius Malfoy. He has all the answers I need. And since I'll need Veritaserum to make him speak, there's only one person that can provide me a bottle…"

"You don't mean…?" Ron shivered.

Harry nodded. "Yes, I'm talking about Snape."

"But Harry…"

"Ron, just take care of things here, okay? I don't think I'm coming back today. I'll get to the bottom of this or my name isn't Harry Potter."

Harry put on his coat and ran his fingers through his hair. Then he took a deep breath and walked towards the door determinedly. He ignored Ron's protests until he got to the lift. He reached for his mobile phone to call Remus, and then remembered that his old friend still liked to do things the wizard way, refusing to have a cell phone with him. He put his phone in his pocket again and sighed.

His mind drifted to Lucius, Draco's son, and he smiled fondly. Harry realised what Lucius' intentions were now. The boy had only wanted him to find out the real truth about his father. He wanted Harry to know what kind of person Draco had transformed into.

It worked. Harry was almost convinced. There was only one last thing he needed to do in order to stop being so passive about things and acting more like the Harry Potter that he used to be.

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Harry's stomach was lurching. He didn't want to be there. He closed his eyes for a moment as he felt the coldness of the walls around him. He wrapped his arms around himself.

Remus looked at him worriedly. "Are you alright? Do you really want to do this?" He put a hand on Harry's shoulder gently.

"I'm ok. Besides, I have to do this… I can't postpone this anymore," replied Harry.

Azkaban was a horrible place. It was like a gigantic dungeon: cold, dark, and though it was no longer guarded by the Dementors, it still seemed that entering would suck out your happiness forever. Harry shut his eyes for a moment. He felt very sick. But he had to hold on. He had had vanquished Voldemort. He was more than capable of not falling apart just because he was about to face Lucius Malfoy.

"Thanks for doing this for me. I know how hard it was for Tonks to arrange this meeting. I know how the laws of Azkaban had become strict over the years," Harry said, to distract his troubled mind a little.

Tonks was now one of the people in charge of the Auror's department, and therefore had full access to Azkaban. Remus, now her husband, also worked for them and was a member of the committee that helped wizards rebuilt and administrate Azkaban after the Dementors almost destroyed it in the past. He knew the place very well.

"Well, we did have to pull some strings to get you here… But she didn't mind. I'm glad you're finally…" Remus stopped talking abruptly, as if he was pondering what to say next. "… ready to face what happened in the past. But are you really ready?"

"Yes," Harry assured, although he wasn't sure at all. In fact, he was terrified. "Where's Snape? Is he going to be here?"

Remus nodded. "He already is. He's brought some Veritaserum with him. We need to be discreet. Veritaserum is forbidden except if you have permission from the Ministry Board. Most guards don't know about our true intentions here today. We convinced them that you wanted to be alone with the killer of wife just to vent your feelings… They were quite sympathetic… It was kind of scary," Remus pointed out, shivering a little. "And come to think of it… using Veritaserum is not as bad as venting your anger…"

"I do want to vent my anger," Harry said darkly. Beating the crap out of Lucius Malfoy was a very appealing idea.

"Then we won't disappoint your fans," a hoarse voice sneered from the darkness ahead.

Harry's heart almost stopped beating as Severus Snape took a step forward and showed himself. He was shocked to see how old and tired he looked. Snape's hair was longer than he could remember, and his hair, once pitch black, was now flecked with grey. He seemed like a man who had had his share of suffering and pain, and was still paying for his sins.

A part of Harry was happy to see that the years hadn't been gentle to the man that had killed Dumbledore in cold blood. But another part of him just pitied Snape. Because Harry knew that it had been difficult for him to kill his mentor and father-like figure in such a way just for the sake of the cause they were fighting for. It was hard to admit that Snape's part in Voldemort's defeat had been crucial. Harry might not have killed him at all if it weren't for Snape's help. Still, Harry couldn't, wouldn't forgive him. Ever.

"Did you bring the truth-serum?" Harry asked coldly.

Snape raised a brow, and he kept sneering in a hideous way. "Where are you manners, Potter? Aren't you going to say hello and ask me how I am doing?"

"Why waste my time?"

"Still cheeky as ever," Severus said with a grimace. "You should thank me for being here. I didn't have to risk my neck coming to this place, to a place where both the guards and the criminals would love nothing more than to lay their hands on me…"

Harry thought it was less than he deserved for the kind of person he was, but he remained quiet. He wasn't there to argue with Snape. He had done a lot of that in the past. He had even punched him more than once. Now he should save his anger for Lucius Malfoy.

"Why are you here, then?" Harry asked.

"It's because of Draco," Severus said, making Harry turn white.

Snape had always been too fond of Draco for Harry's taste. He had even suspected that they were sexually involved in the past. Draco had never said anything to him, but Harry would bet there was more to their relationship than they let on. It made him sicker and more jealous than ever.

"I want his name cleared once and for all. He never took part in that murder. You know that. You're just too afraid to admit it because then you'd have to admit to yourself that…"

"Why are we wasting our time here talking nonsense?" Harry cut him off immediately; terrified that he would say something about Draco and him. It was obvious that he knew something about them. Had Draco told him? After all, they were still good friends.

'I'll kill him,' he thought furiously. Harry would die if Remus found out about his affair with Draco.

Then he berated himself. He was there so he could finally know the truth about Draco's part in Ginny's murder, and therefore allow himself to love Draco freely, without any guilt. He wouldn't achieve anything by being a coward and refusing to let people know what his true feelings about the blond were. Remus would know sooner or later. Everybody would. It was scary, and it was hard to admit that Snape was right about his cowardice.

"Very well, then," Severus said, strangely docile. "Lupin, the key."

Remus stepped forward with a large, magic golden key in his hands. He unlocked a big metal door and gave room for Snape to go first.

"Do your magic," he said.

Snape just smirked at him. He went inside, and Harry heard him talking with Lucius as if they were old school buddies reunited. He frowned. They were school buddies, but Harry thought that Snape would be harsh on Lucius. Would the old bastard betray them? With Snape one could never know.

Harry drew out his wand. He had to be ready for everything. He heard Lucius Malfoy curse, and then a bright red light filled the prison cell. Other prisoners began to cry out in the cells surrounding them. Harry felt chills down his spine. Most people were locked up because of him and the Order. The majority was of ex-Death Eaters. Harry didn't want to have to fight with them again.

Azkaban was safe, though. It had changed a great deal since Voldemort's Era.

Snape appeared at the entrance. "You may come in now."

Harry looked at Remus with a frown. Then, he entered the cell, not exactly knowing what to expect. He saw Lucius Malfoy lying unconscious in a small bed, stupefied. Harry looked at him for a moment, disgusted with what he saw. Lucius Malfoy's hair was completely white and he had big rings under his eyes. He also looked older. But apart from that, his clothes were clean and his general appearance wasn't at all like that of Sirius' when he escaped from Azkaban so many years ago. His cell didn't look like the rest of the prison. None of the cells did. They were small, but neat. They had one bed, a toilet, a sink and even a desk.

His appearance wasn't the cause of Harry's disgust. He was sickened because of what Lucius represented. That man had caused only pain in his life. Harry felt like murdering him. Nobody would care. Nobody would question him. But he couldn't act like Lucius. He wasn't a murderer because he had chosen to become one. To show mercy to an enemy was the deepest sign of compassion.

'Where was your compassion when Draco begged you to forgive him, Harry?' he thought to himself. 'Well, things were so confusing back then. There was nothing I could do. But I can try to make things right again.'

"You stupefied him," Harry said with an irritating sigh. "I need him awake."

"That is not a problem. Only, he might wax hysterical when he sees you. He's quite mad, and there are a lot of things he cannot recall. But he remembers you quite well. I suppose it's difficult to forget such a pretty face," Snape sneered.

Harry raised a brow, upset. "Where's the truth-serum?"

Snape caught a small vial from under his robes and showed it to Harry.

"I'm going to wake him up and make him drink it a few drops of the potion. Then you can ask him whatever you want. Enervate!" Snape shouted.

Lucius opened his eyes and looked at him confusedly. Severus made him drink five drops of the truth-serum. He grunted something.

"What do you want?" Lucius asked. His eyes met Harry's, and he smiled evilly. "Well, well, well. Did you finally bring me Harry Potter? It's about time! I can finally kill him now."

Harry felt his anger rising to a dangerous level, but he held himself in check. "You can't kill me. You don't have magical powers anymore."

Lucius made a face. "Oh, yeah. The bloody leash around my neck." Lucius touched the metal collar (1) that was put around his neck the first time he had been brought to Azkaban. That purpose of the necklace was to prevent the criminals from trying to do wandless magic.

"What do you want, brat? Why are you here?" Lucius hissed. "Severus, why did you bring him here? Did the Dark Lord send him as a gift to me? When will the Dark Lord come to get me out of here? I heard he was giving me half of France as an appreciation for my services! I killed the brat's wife, didn't I? I think I killed his son, too. So what's the Dark Lord waiting for?"

At hearing that, Harry couldn't hold himself back anymore. He pounced on Lucius like a lion and struck him hard on the face.

"Bastard, son of a bitch!" he roared. Remus and Severus had to hold him. "Let me go! He deserves to die!"

Lucius laughed madly. "I deserve to die? I wasn't the one who ruined the Dark Lord's plans. But fear not. He will return! He'll get me out of here! And you'll be as good as dead, Potter!"

"Why did you kill Ginny? Who asked you to do it? Did you act alone? Did Draco help you?" Harry asked harshly. "And would you let me go?" he asked Sirius and Remus. "I promise I'll behave…"

Severus didn't believe him, but he released him anyway.

"Why do you care?" Harry asked Severus. "Why don't you let me beat the shit out of him?"

"Because you'd get carried away and make him pass out. Then your questions will be unanswered," Severus explained coldly. "Once it's over, though, please be my guest and kill him if you wish. I don't give a damn."

"Severus!" Remus berated him. "Don't encourage him to do something as hideous as that!"

Severus just shrugged.

Harry turned to Lucius again. "Tell me why you killed Ginny."

Lucius raised a brow. "Are you stupid? It's obvious why I killed her. I wanted you to suffer. I knew you weren't going to be there that night. I knew you were going to be with my son. I killed her to teach you and him a lesson. Besides, if you truly loved her, would you be fucking my son?"

Harry gasped, and so did Remus. Severus didn't say a word.

Harry breathed hard. He needed to calm down and keep asking what he wanted. Never mind what Remus was thinking of him. That wasn't important at the moment.

"Did you act alone? Or did somebody help you?" Harry asked.

"I did it for the Dark Lord obviously!"

"Voldemort was already dead, you sick bastard! I'm asking you if Draco helped you. Did you tell him to call me that night? Did you tell him to seduce me and keep me busy while you went to my house?"

Remus gasped again.

Lucius smirked. "No. I was telling the truth at the trial. Although I did try to incriminate Draco at first, I kept him out of jail because of Narcissa. She begged me not to be so harsh on our son, even if he was in love with Harry Potter."

"So you knew…" Harry said in a whisper. He was about to pass out.

"That you and him were fucking each other? Yes, I knew. I was disgusted when I found out. I wanted to kill him for his betrayal. I don't even consider him my son anymore. But Narcissa is too soft on him…"

"How did you know that I was going to meet him that night?"

"Because Narcissa told me. Draco had told her about you. She told her he was divorcing Pansy to be with you. She was horrified. She couldn't believe her son was a fag. She was appalled when she heard that he loved you. She told me, hoping that I would fix things. She didn't know that my idea of punishment included you and him. I had to teach you both a lesson. You couldn't be together, Potter! A relationship between you two would be too sickening! So I set things up to make you believe that Draco had helped me. You believed it, didn't you? You left him. Narcissa told me you couldn't even stand to see him. And Draco protected your secret in the trial, but I actually liked that. I didn't want people finding out what his weaknesses were. I didn't want people knowing that he was gay and repulsively in love with you.

"Draco is a true Malfoy. I know he is. One day he'll thank me for taking you away from him. My innocent, mawkish son was devastated when you left him. He really thought you loved him! And he truly loved you, the fool! He saw his mistake. I broke your trust in him. You didn't care for him at all. You fell right into my trap. My job was done perfectly. I just wished I had killed you also. But one day I will."

"You bastard…" Harry didn't realise he was crying. He wanted to curl into a ball and disappear. But at the same time that his sadness overtook him, his anger also overflowed. He clutched his fists and attacked Lucius again. "YOU DESERVE TO DIE, YOU SICK FUCK!" he cried, as he struck Lucius over and over. His hand was soaked in blood, but he didn't stop.

Remus tried to restrain Harry, but Severus held him back. "Let him," he said darkly.

"Let him? Are you mad? He'll kill him. Severus!" Remus pleaded. "Let us stop him! Now!"

"In a second," Severus answered indifferently.

Harry felt like he had left his body. The person in that cell wasn't him. It was someone else; someone irrational and cruel; someone thirst for blood. He barely noticed when Severus wrenched him away from an unconscious Lucius Malfoy. His eyes were bloodshot. He was breathing like an enraged bull. It was only when he met Remus' eyes that he came to himself.

"Remus…" Harry whispered. "Remus… What have I done?"

Remus hugged him while Harry broke down in his arms. He felt sorry for the man he considered as a son. He had only seen Harry behaving like that minutes before he killed Voldemort.

"It's okay. It's over now. Let's go home." Remus looked at Snape, who was leaning on Lucius' body to check his breathing. "Is he alive?" he asked with his heart in his mouth.

Severus nodded. "Yes."

"Severus, why did you let Harry…?" he asked.

"Because he needed to vent his anger on something. Besides, people were expecting him to do just that."

"Remus…" Harry whispered. He was looking like a lost, little child. He barely knew where he was.

Remus stroked his hair tenderly and said, "It's over, Harry. You don't have to worry about him anymore."

"But can't you see? I fucked things up…" Harry said sobbing.

"No, you didn't!" Remus exclaimed, leading him away. "It wasn't your fault, Harry! Nothing that happened was your fault!"

"You don't know that, Remus! You don't know what I did…"

Severus followed them outside and locked the cell. "Potter, as incredible as it sounds, Lucius is to blame for everything, not you. I'm going to ask someone to check on him."

"Snape!" Harry called before he had to go. "You knew, didn't you? You knew about Draco and me…"

Severus stared at him. "Yes, I knew. He told me. I told him to stop being silly because you'd never reciprocate his feelings, but he was under the impression that you would. I knew you wanted him, Potter. I could see it in your eyes. I wasn't sure that you loved him, though."

"But I did…" Harry whispered. He didn't care if the one in front of him was his enemy. He didn't care about anything anymore. "I did love him. I was just confused… What was I supposed to do? Everything happened so suddenly! One minute we were in bed and making plans for the future, and the next Hermione was calling me and telling me that Ginny was dead!"

"If it's of any consolation, Potter, I'd have reacted the same way," Severus smiled bitterly. "Actually, I did react the same way…"

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked.

"That subject is for another heartbreaking meeting, Potter," said Severus before walking away.

"Remus? Do you know what he was talking about?"

Remus' face was white as sheet. "Yes. Tell me something, Harry. Do you really love Draco?"

"I do," Harry answered, being honest with himself for the first time in his life. "I still love him. I was unfair… I was cruel… I really hated him. But I could never stop loving him. Are you disappointed?"

Remus sighed. "No. In a way… I kind of suspected it. The way you looked at him… The way you treated each other… It was so familiar."

"What do you mean?"

"Sirius and Severus," Remus answered. "They loved each other, but they were too stubborn to accept their feelings, so they almost killed each other because of that love…"

Harry was stunned. "I had no idea…"

"I'll tell you all you need to know. But let's get out of this hideous place first. And Harry…"

"What?"

"If you truly love Draco, then fight for him. Don't let anyone get in your way. Go and be happy. You deserve it."

Harry shut his eyes as the tears kept falling. He smiled feebly. "Thanks. But I'm not sure I can fix this anymore… It's too late."

"It's never too late for love. Just take a look at Severus and me."

Harry opened his eyes widely for the second time that day. "What?"

Remus smiled nervously. "That's right. I did tell you that Sirius and Severus loved each other to a maddening point. Well… the one who got between them was me…" he confessed.

A lot of things made sense to Harry about that trio. He hadn't noticed anything when he was young, but now that he was older and had gone through a lot in life, he could understand the things he had missed about Sirius, Snape and even Remus' intricate relationship.

He wasn't ready to deal with everything at that moment, though. He was almost fainting.

Harry took a deep breath. "I… don't feel very well, Remus…"

Remus nodded quickly. "Let's go right now. Lean on my shoulder. If you want, we can go to hospital first."

"No! I don't want to go to St Mungo's. I just want to go home… I need to see Draco. I need to see my son. God, I really want to hug James right now…"

"I don't think James should see you like this. But let's go home, ok? Take a bath; I'll give you a restorative and then we'll talk."

Harry nodded, and he obediently followed Remus home. He had no idea how he would begin to patch up the pieces of his life, though.

But first he needed a good rest.

TBC…

A/N: First things first. Thanks a lot to my betas Kuri (who makes kick-ass bentos and I want to eat them all!) and Cuthrin (who's a sweetheart). Also millions of thanks to my usual and new reviewers! I feel very happy when I open my e-mail and see so many positive reviews! I do love this story. Writing it was so easy. I didn't have to kill myself to think of a plot. It just came naturally, even though I did change it about a dozen times! XD

Ok. I put number 1 in the middle of the chapter. The leash on Lucius' collar is actually taken by X-Men. You know, how they used to control the mutants' powers with a silver collar or something? Well, that's where I got the idea. I think after the Dementors, they would create something like that to detain evil wizards. It's very cruel, if you think about it. So what do you think?

Also, I don't think I'll be able to upload a new chapter tomorrow. But you'll see a new one here on Wednesday.

Teaser:

"Tell Mr Potter that I'll see him tomorrow. If he wants, he can have one of the guest rooms," Draco said as he took the way to the stairs.

"What I have to say can't wait until tomorrow," said Harry appearing all of a sudden.

Draco left his bag on the floor and frowned as he stared at him.