a/n Hello and welcome Ch44! I hope you are all well. Please stay safe these days and consider your health.

take care, Γ

The Unity of Opposites

Chapter Forty Four

almost a month apart

Week Three

Why was his heart beating so fast?

Hard marble floors were freshly cleaned, spotlessly now reflecting the huge diamond chandelier that was bigger than the one once fell, shinier and much more expensive.

His mother might be renovating the Manor, and that idea was simply much more delighted than those memories popping out of nowhere in his mind. He felt anxiety raising up like fireworks in a pitch black night. Not because of the horror he experienced, but for coming alone for the very first time in almost five years.

Big fabric examples were on top of the new dining table. Some were dark coloured, others lighter, but all of them thick and rather silky against his fingertips. Where does she come up with all the ideas, he asked himself when he saw some colour combinations he never seen before. His mother could really be a great interior designer if she wasn't a Pureblood witch. Maybe he could ask Stella to let her help in her new company? Just to make her days pass away more creatively.

Guilt took him over and he closed his eyes at the sight of the family portrait perfectly placed on top of the large stone fireplace. This one was not Mugglefied like the one he had in his office - he made a note to himself to send it to restoration first thing next week. His father's eyes fell on him and he rose the glass of elves's made wine. His jaw tightened and he looked at his shining shoes, not wanting to meet the eyes of his father right his second.

His feet drove him far away from them, fearing of what those old framed people might do to him now that he was different than the young, skeleton boy in the portrait. The once heavy carpet dressing the aristocrat staircase was gone, revealing the same hard marble. He walked up to the third floor, his floor, and looked around him for a second, noticing some new pieces of furniture and wall consoles holding tall glassed vases with flowers inside with everlasting smell.

The door to his old room was opened. Light was warming the empty area and he knew his mother might want to renovate this room as well. Not that he didn't want too. This destroyed, dark, faceless room was the only thing holding him back to his old life - he knew what it meant to his previous self the need to see the bombed wall once holding his bookcase, the small desk with hundreds of parchments and quills, his old bed with Slytherin covers and Quiddtich emblems all around it.

Grey eyes scanned the unexpressed room like it was - a painful past, ready to be treasured in the back of his mind, wanting nothing more than to hold this very space as a reminder of who he used to be and who he is now.

A single piece of parchment was between the bed and desk. The memory of Hermione tearing apart his old diary made him smile - not for her gesture, but for the trust she had in him. He sat on his old bed and took that page in his hands, his healed skin stretched and made a painful expression. He breathed in. Then out. Then in again. He looked at the piece of parchment he was holding and he might have sighed. Words he remembered he wrote found different meaning that the time he had written them - .. surprised to find myself asking; is this what I want, or is what others taught me to want? He snorted and looked at the damaged wall in front of him.

''Draco!'' his mother's voice made him look up at her like he used to when he was a little boy who had done the most devious mischief. Her lips curled into a horrified, but yet surprised smile as a light blue shirt was dressing his torso, ''Welcome home!'' she walked at him, a wide smile decorated her face as she wrapped her arms around him, feeling his discomfort as if it was her own. She pulled back, a small frowned on her face was troubling her, not letting her appreciate the moment to the fullest, ''Well? How was it?'' she asked with anticipation written on her face and Draco took a big breath, awkwardly looking at the folded now piece of parchment in his hand.

He hadn't forgotten about the lies his friends told her, either he had forgotten why those lies had to be spoken to her. He should be feeling guilty - much guiltier than he had felt earlier. ''Yes, it was splendid.'' he cleared his throat, taking his eyes off her, ''Cicely is amazingly beautiful this time of the year - ''

''Cicely?'' she asked confused and let out a breathy laugh - he might have forgotten about the order of the lies. ''Adrian said you visit France - '' he definitely had forgotten about the order of the lies. ''Draconis Lucius Malfoy!'' she angrily looked at him, her hand fell from his face to her side, ''Why in Merlin's name you are lying?'' she demanded and he only felt his eyes burned with the aged guilt. ''And why are you in pain - ''

''I am not in - ''

''Do not lie to the woman who birthed you!'' her gaze burned his low head. ''Show me.'' she demanded like the way she used to, whenever he had done an injured mischief. Draco took his shirt off, hearing her gasping. ''What - what happened, my, my boy - '' her shaking hands cowardly touched the huge lenghted cut across his collarbones before noticing the rounded one on his shoulder. She gasped and her eyes teared up. ''Mera!'' she called her elf, a weird sound escaped her lips, ''Mera!'' she yelled now and the old elf appear only to look lost - ''Go bring the healer's suit from the closet! Hurry!'' she ordered and in a blink of an eye the elf was back.

''Blaise took care of it - ''

''Blaise is not a mother!'' she angrily looked at her son, eyes full of disappointment and fear of what had happened to him - blurred images of the time her son was turned into a mummy after that boy Potter and his stupid effort to become a murderer came to her mind and tears started to fall down. Draco thought her hands might start to shake, but they never did. He watched her opening her bag with great care and concentration, one could even stop breathing to memorize.

''Mother.'' he tried to meet her eyes, but he failed. She had left her bag wide open on top of his old desk. Her cheeks were still covered in tears and Draco might have asked himself when was the last time he saw her crying because of him. He knew exactly how very well in trouble he was - and it didn't need her crying to understand it.

Her eyes told him to take off his shirt and Draco did it. Her lips pressed together when the healed skin was fully exposed to her eyes. She tried not to show how much pain she was feeling right this second, how much scared she was. Some pinkness was left there to remind her the younger version of her son and not the old one, who was always running behind death and stupid missions. Even if Draco didn't know it, she was getting a full report on her son's actions and not only for the numerous articles in magazines.

She carefully started to cast a spell he never had heard before, watching the heavy yellow sparkle covering every inch of his scarred skin. He felt like someone pinching him, multiple times at the same place. A warmth, a specific one heated up his torso and his back straightened, feeling small pieces of fiber carefully tangled along the healed ones. His jaw clenched when it found his shoulder and he looked at his mother's concentrate eyes. She was full of concern. Something more than concern, maybe fear. ''I am very disappointed at Blaise and Adrian and Pansy!'' she said with eyes full of tears.

''I told them - ''

''Those three have always acted on what you ask!'' she dangerously looked at him and he lowered his eyes,''I am highly disappointed at you too.'' she said at last and took some bandages that were spelled with something that cold his skin, pleasantly relaxing his tensed muscles. ''Mr Steele once said about a death wish, how could I ever imagine he was correct - ''

''Nehone did it.'' he confessed and she stopped her doing for a second. He asked himself if she was breathing. Then questioned her unexpressed eyes, her red now cheeks and clenched jaw. Her anger raised, but it wasn't about Draco this time. ''At the end of May - ''

''I do not wish to know.'' she carefully finished her job, knowing she cannot do anything to heal the pain he had felt, or take it away. She felt powerless. ''Draco you are my son.'' she looked at him now, her eyes dropping two tears at the same time. ''As hard as you are trying to distant me, I will remain your mother.'' she filled her lungs with pride and helped him buttoned his shirt. ''You are all that I have left.'' she placed her hands on his pouted face. A smile decorated her sad features when Draco placed his arms around her like he used to do when he was a little boy and he was afraid of what his mother will say for his doings - because young Draco might be scared of his father, but he was terrified of his mother. Narcissa caressed his back, feeling him sigh - he was regretful, a bit guiltful as well, but most of all, he was in pain, this time not physical. ''Is Miss Hermione alright?'' she carefully asked and he might have tightened his arms around her for her second without noticing it. He didn't speak, he didn't move.

He wanted to tell her how he feels about her, but his lips pouted more and his eyes might filled with tears. The words were forming quickly in his mind and for a brief moment he felt as if he will mumble cry his sorrow away as he used to do when he was little and got into a fight with Blaise - but this time was different, his feelings were loud and clear, his mind was straight, set into a goal, his heart was pointing in one direction and all of that for one Hermione Granger. He pouted even more. He couldn't remember when was the last time he hugged his mother and she so selflessly took his pain away. ''She - '' he swallowed hard. He had never talked about girls with his mother before, yet alone a girl he was actually fancied. For all his years in his earth, his mother was the one trying to build that bridge and made him trust her enough to say who he was fancied or not. ''She left me.'' he said with a childish voice, trying hard not to allow his cheeks to blush.

''I doubt it.'' his mother let out a small snort. He rose his head to see her kind eyes surprisingly looking at his tearing ones. Her one hand wiped his cheek. ''You believe she left you?'' she asked him, but Draco didn't answer. ''She is a tenacious girl, miss Granger.'' she looked down on him with meaningful eyes, ''She is caring and stubborn,'' she caressed his other cheek too, ''And above all, she is in love.'' she softly said and looked at his eyes sparkling for a second, only to blurred by his need to be with her. ''And you are in love.'' she carefully said and his eyes fell from hers.

''Maybe.'' his hoarse voice vibrated his chest and started to count the numerous black shaking lines on the floor. ''But she is not here to tell her.''

To his surprise, she laughed, ''Who are we without the people we love.'' she quoted someone and smiled at her son, ''I remember the very first time your father told me he loves me.'' a sweet-bitter veil covered her whole face and Draco felt his cheeks burning - talking about love matters with his mother was not the highlighter of his existence. ''I have never felt so scared in my entire life!'' she blushed, remembering the beautiful morning he ran to her class to find her and confessed his love. He looked weird, tired and a bit drunk as well - she might have thought he wanted to ask her to break up, but he simply looked at her with shy eyes and spoke the strange words. ''I do not believe he ever had spoken those words before.'' same, Draco thought and swallowed hard.

''What did you do?''

''What could I do?'' she laughed out loud, ''You Malfoys are so persistent and thirsty for more. You never settle for less than everything.'' she caressed his cheek. ''I told him I love him. And I will always do. Even at the darkest time, at the most shallow and cold times of our existence, I loved him.''

''What was he like? Besides the coldness and the intimidation - '' her laughter made him stop talking. He smiled at her radiating face. She looked happy that moment and somehow, it managed to relax him.

''He had a cold cage around his heart that you melt down. How much he adored you Draco you have no idea.'' her voice started to coloured between the spoken words, in a way that used to do when she was reading him The True Tales of Merlin. ''There were times late at night he would come and hold you till sleep found him in the old rocking chair. '' she sat next to him, taking his hand into hers. ''He was a really smart man. He was strong and weak at the same time.'' she spoke with sadness now and she took a big breath, ''He acted based on beliefs he shouldn't have, but earned from others.'' she bittery smiled at Draco and curled an arm around him, ''He carried a blame and a problem to his shoulders that tired him, but never, he thought of things turning out as such.''

''You knew about his travels.''

She nodded. ''I did. I had given the Time Turner to McGonagall, but he created another one.'' she painfully smiled at him, ''You father Draco might have done some questionable things in times of need, but he carried another's fault on his back. Remember that.''

''Warlock's.'' he said with pain in his chest.

''And your grandfathers.'' she sadly told him, pushing back some of his hair, looking at how much he has grown since the last time they sat side by side and talked. ''Draco.'' she called his name and felt her heart aching for what had happened to him in those sensitive early years of his life. She knew she was the one to blame, she knew she should have acted fast and take him away from this darkness. Up until this very day, she doesn't know who or what stopped her to do it. Was it the promise of his later life with happiness and all those things that had taken away from him? Was it her own fear? Or simply was what theirs stars had written for them? ''Stop worrying about the past, look only ahead of you. You are young, Draco, you are healthy, thank Merlin we have Blaise for that,'' she mocked and Draco smirked, ''you can live your life how you want and with whom you want.''

''I want Hermione.'' he whispered with confidence, waiting to see the approval to her eyes.

''Then tell her!'' his mother's voice was coloured with encouragement and strength he never heard before. ''Draco, love is an amazing thing to have in your life and you have already spent too much time without it.'' she held his hand tightly and smiled, ''Life gives and life takes away too, never consider it differently.'' a strong hovering sound made them look at their left where an owl appeared. At his feet, he was carrying a single white tulip.

''Who else knows tulips are your favourite flowers?'' Draco asked when her hands decorated with it. Her lips curled even more.

''Just friends.''

ΛVΛ

Kingsley laughed, ''Well, if it isn't the walking dead.'' he teased and left the quill to its holder, stood up to give him a hug, caring little about his protest in the matter. He pulled back to see his finally normal pale and not hospitalized-pale face, placing both hands on his shoulders and pridefully nodding once too many times at him.

''I came to give you my Auror wand, badge, ring - '' he started to take out of his pockets everything they first gave him, placing them in line on top of his desk with half a heart, but a clear goal. Kingsley laughed again, understanding his sadness in the matter. ''Mr Xavier doesn't accept them and I promised to Granger no more stupid things.'' he blushed and took his eyes away from him, not wanting to admit the feelings for her to the old wizard.

''Didn't know being an Auror is stupid.'' he saw right through him and walked to the tall stand pouring two glasses of firewhiskey for them.

''It's an excuse for me to act stupidly.'' he snorted and cleared his throat at once, watching the Minister turning around. He thanked him and cheered his glass, raising it in a toast.

''Then I am accepting it.'' Kingsley nodded, and took a sip. ''How are you feeling?'' he asked him and took his Auror badge in his hand, sadly watching it shining under the midday sun bathing his office, his name in capital letters guarding the Auror symbol.

''Better.'' he secretly thanked his mother in his mind for the enchanted bandages she made him wear for two days and took away every left-over pain and discomfort, leaving only a line with two shades darker skin. ''I will be running the Enterprise now.'' he told him with a meaningful gaze and Kingsley smirked.

''Are you warning me, Malfoy?'' he intimidatingly asked, watching the amusement in his eyes.

''I heard one of the Auror Heads will be retired.'' Draco's eyes were looking away now, his cheeks might have changed colour. ''If you have a vote in the matter, it would be wise to cash it out on Steele. I will support you.'' he took a big breath, ''The Enterprise will support you - ''

''Already done it, Draco.'' he walked back to his chair and told him to sit as well. ''Is the book of Primis Lamia safe?'' he asked and Draco nodded, ''Who could have ever thought her name would be Heather.'' he meant to joke but failed.

''Is Calluna safe?'' Draco asked him and Kingsley pressed his lips.

''I need to find a way to establish a rather - '' his lips sealed again and looked at Draco. ''We need to destroy them. Fast. Or else I do not want to see what Warlock would do.'' his expression turned to a much more angry one.

Draco flinched, ''We cannot destroy them.'' the tension in his eyes could easily be named if one paid closest attention, ''We can put them back.'' he offered as if it was the most normal thing to do. If he wanted to be honest with himself, he had put a great thought to it, all of those ending with their missing from the vault at Gringotts. A scandal, a small, paid in lots of galleons, attention to their doings and you have the perfect cover up story for the public eye to get fed on. The only thing was Kingsley - and his now concern gaze that was roaring on Draco's face. ''You already know where the three of them came from - ''

''Do not dare consider the recruitment of Ron Weasley - '' his lips sealed when Draco laughed.

''Why not?'' he shrugged, taking even himself off guard.

''I do not trust him at the moment. You shouldn't either!'' he spoke with anger and furious flames tossing out of his eyes like some sort of a crazy demon. ''The thing angers me the most is your saying in this. You have said Nehone might see him as an ally and I chose not to believe you - ''

''Kingsley, isn't the case closed?'' he casually spoke, a small tiredness in his voice made him shook his head, wishing Hermione could see him right now. ''I doubt anyone would address their care if those rocks were gone.'' the liquid in his glass challenged him to drink it at once, but true to the promise he gave Blase and Adrian, he didn't.

''Warlock - ''

''Will never know.'' Draco rushed to finish his sentence, his grey eyes were reassuring him of the success his thinking will offer. ''This is between me and you.'' Kingsley looked at him with narrowed eyes before sighing. There were questions in his eyes, along with a confidence he had missed on him. ''A team will be formed, Ron Weasley will be part of it. The job will be done.'' he spoke with prestige and value, with dominance and sure, clear thinking. He spoke like a Malfoy - like a Malfoy should be speaking.

To stop himself from smiling with pride, he clenched his jaw and forced the last sip of firewhiskey to run circles in his mouth. ''You do not wish to cross paths with him.'' he forced himself to express the most common fear among Ministry Officials, knowing Draco won't be fooled by it.

Draco smirked and showered his ego with the Malfoy aura he so ruthlessly inherited from his father.

ΛVΛ

How much gold a room can hold?

Everything was shining, expensive and very, very tacky. There was no actual order to the heavy decorated room Draco was walking into and he might have already felt his eyes bothered by it. How much he needed to show off his untrustworthy membership in this World?

''Excuse me - ''

''Apology accepted.'' he rose a brow to the man behind the desk who rushed to follow him to the huge door of the office he wanted to go.

''You cannot just - ''

''Mr Warlock.'' Draco fixed his shining brighter than the expensive room cufflink on his left sleeve, knowing the old man was feeling envious about the family heirloom pridefully decorating his tall body. Warlock stood at his feet at once, a fake smile covering his angry gaze as he waved to his personal assistant to leave.

''Mr Malfoy.'' he might have or have not dragged his name to his mouth reminding of a snake. ''I do not recall a meeting.'' he offered a seat, his hand extended to shake his.

''That is because there isn't any.'' Draco placed a hand on top of their shaking hands, showing off the family ring Warlock's family never considered having. ''How very settling floor you have. I have never visited before.'' Draco looked with a forced like the heavy room, wondering if deep down Warlock was a goblin. ''I came bringing gifts.'' he spoke with amusement and opened his hands to reveal a see-through box.

Warlock gasped like a child who got his Christmas present early. He looked at Draco with hungry eyes and then at the box, slowly turning his hands into fists as the need to grab it and make it his quelled his old, weak, wrinkled body. He wickedly smiled at him and Draco rose a brow, encouraging him to take it. ''A quill of truth.'' he gasped again, this time feeling his eyes roar with excitement all over the long feathers and core. ''How rare.'' his lips curved into a much hungry smile, ''Thank you, Mr Malfoy.'' he whispered and felt himself relax in his presence, the old thoughts of wanting him dead might have furthered for a second.

''Elf candy?'' Draco offered and he looked at him confused.

''Excuse me?''

Draco pointed at the candy between his teeth for everlasting clean breath and taste. ''Hand made from my mother's chef elf. You do have one of those, don't you.'' he smirked. ''He is rather good at what he does.'' he rose a brow and Warlock rushed to accept, not wanting to seem unappreciated for his visit here.

''Thank you, Mr Malfoy.'' he raised his hand as if he was making a toast and placed it in his mouth, feeling it offer a much more freshly taste. ''I see your arm is healed.'' he said when both sat, ''It must have been troublesome not be able to move as before.''

''I fond being on a troublesome stage. Always points me to the clearest decisions.'' he looked at him through dangerous eyes, ''Of course, it would be much appreciated if he was captured than killed, but who is to be trusted?'' his eyes held a much more meaningful gaze now, almost similar to the one his father gave him too many years ago.

''You had to do what you had to do.'' he said and played with the candy in his mouth, feeling a bit exposed. ''There is no denial of what great risk you faced.'' he sucked it more, feeling his mouth thirsty.

Draco smiled, ''Of course it is not. All those years I know you and I have never asked your first name.''

He smiled back and swallowed hard, feeling his throat sticky, ''I do not have one. Warlock's male Family members are all known as Warlocks. Only our females have.'' he said after a while of sucking.

''Family comes first.'' Draco nodded.

''Always with the Warlocks.''

He snorted and crossed his leg, ''And with the Malfoys.'' he pointed at the ring on his finger and he looked at the envious gaze of his, scanning it worse than before.

''Of course, Mr Malfoy, I did not intend to offend you.''

''I do not get offended easily.'' he breathy laughed, ''Only when my loved ones are getting targeted, I am.'' he gave him a small smile, watching his adam's apple struggling to swallow. ''Do you know what my first thought was, when I found out about the Heather's Stones?'' he smirked at the way his whole face started to purple, but his mouth kept sucking feeling a certain hunger in the very end of his throat.

''What did you do - '' he struggled to form words as his tongue was hungrily twirling around the candy.

''I thought, why.'' he watched him fighting back, but he cared little. ''Why would a powerful Ministry as this of our own, will bother with untamed rocks.'' he laughed at the thought, hearing small groans escaping from his sealed lips. ''And then I remembered something my father used to say; what doesn't kill me, better fear me.'' he shrugged and looked around him, the afternoon light was making the whole room much more disgust than it already was. ''Fear. What a powerful, dashing emotion, isn't it?''

''What - '' his face had taken a rather weird form, as he was trying to open his jaw and split the candy to unspell his sticky mouth.

''Aren't you afraid right now?'' he asked him and Warlock met his eyes. Draco thought he was cursing him and a smirk appeared. He nodded a couple of times, watching him struggling to talk. ''You a stupid man.'' he whispered to him and swore he would feel the bull's breathing in the back of his neck, but he cared little. He knew what he was doing. ''You unleash a beast wanting to take away what's mine.'' he rose a brow, ''And you do not want to see what I do to people threaten what's mine.'' he stood up and snapped his fingers. His mouth dropped open, the candy fell from his mouth, rolling down the floor, and he threw up his last meal on top of his new quill, parchments and vintage desk. He looked up at him, disgust and partly dirty from the vomit, as small pieces of food was resting on his chin.

Draco smirked at him, fixing his right cufflink without taking his eyes off him. ''This is your nature stage Warlock. And this is mine. Do not ever confuse those two.'' he stood prouder in front of him, perfectly straightened back inside a suit with his family emblem pinned. He looked at him with dangerous unblinking eyes, ''Try to come after me and my family one more time and you will see offendance.''

He offered a charismatic smile and he turned around to leave, but before he could reach the closed door of his office he turned around. ''Do you know how powerful my knowledge is?'' he asked him, waiting no answer and watching him wiping his chin off from the vomit. He smirked and left, knowing exactly how well enough, he was feared of a Malfoy's knowledge.