Disclaimer: The characters and places and stuff belong to JKR. But for now, they are at my mercy. *evil grin* I'll return them as soon as I'm finished…maybe.

This is the sequel to "What Is Happiness?" To understand this story, you must first read that one. It is located at http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=946096

I'm sorry it's taken a while for this chapter. I've been trying hard to write, but with another story, plus school work, plus One-Acts practices, it's taking its toll. I'll do better in the future! *grin*

In this chapter: Read and find out…We learn something

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One evening in late October, Draco was walking towards the Hogwarts castle from the Quidditch pitch. It had begun to rain while he was flying, and he wanted to get inside before he got soaked.

On his way in, he spotted a figure sitting on a bench by the lake. To his surprise, he saw that it was Harry, and he sat with his knees pulled to his chest as he stared off into space. Draco ran over to him and touched his shoulder, but Harry didn't even flinch.

"Harry, what are you doing out here in the rain?" Draco asked, softly, as he sat next to Harry.

"It's raining?" Harry murmured, glancing up. "So it is. I didn't notice." Draco frowned.

"Come inside," he requested. "You're going to get sick if you stay out here." Harry laughed bitterly.

"I'm already sick," he muttered. "It can't get any worse than this..." He sighed, shaking his head. "I know what's wrong with me, Draco. I had a dream about That Month while I was at home. Lucius made me drink a potion... It was red. After I drank it, this red light surrounded me, and I felt a sharp pain all through my body.

"I researched it and found out that the potion caused my mind to get all screwed up, and it caused a kind of depression... There's no known cure. All previous victims ended up dying less than two years after it happened..."

"Oh, Harry," Draco whispered, wrapping his arms around Harry as he began to cry silently.

"I don't know what to do..." Harry choked out. "I don't want to die, but if this keeps up, I'm scared I'm going to try to kill myself again..."

"Don't say that, honey, we'll figure something out," Draco insisted, tears springing to his own eyes. "I won't let you kill yourself. We'll tell my dad, and Remus and Sirius. They'll know what to do. They always do."

He stood up from the bench and gently helped Harry up. Harry took a breath and closed his eyes, leaning against Draco. The blond sighed softly and lifted his shivering boyfriend up, discovering that Harry was still severely underweight. Draco carried Harry quickly into the castle and up to Remus's quarters.

"Harry, are you okay?" Remus asked, panicking a little when he saw his son in Draco's arms.

"I found him sitting out by the lake, in the rain," Draco explained. "I think he's caught a cold."

Remus took Harry from Draco and took him over to the sofa. Remus performed a Drying Spell on Harry, then covered him with a few blankets.

"What were you doing outside in the rain, Harry?" Remus asked, softly, as he smoothed the shivering boy's hair from his forehead.

"Thinking," Harry muttered, closing his eyes. "Draco can explain... Can I go to sleep?"

"Sure, sweetheart," Remus agreed. He kissed Harry's forehead. "Draco and I will be in the kitchen, if you need anything."

Remus poured two cups of tea for himself and Draco, and the two sat down at the kitchen table. Draco held his cup on the tabletop with both hands, not drinking from it, but staring at it. The angry look in Draco's eyes made Remus wonder if perhaps the cup would shatter anytime soon.

"Lucius gave Harry a potion that screwed up his mind and caused depression," Draco hissed after a moment. He let go of his cup and folded his hands, leaning over to rest his forehead on his hands. "Harry's researched it. There's no cure. All previous victims lasted less than two years. If Lucius wasn't dead already, I would fucking torture him to death with my bare hands..."

"Did he remember anything about the potion?" Remus asked, rubbing his hand over his face.

"He said that he remembered it in a dream," Draco explained. "The potion was red, and after he drank it, a red light surrounded him, and then he felt a sharp pain throughout his body. That's all he told me."

"When he wakes up, we'll have to ask him," Remus murmured, more to himself than Draco. "Need to talk to Severus about this..."

"I'll tell him," Draco sighed, standing up. "I have to go downstairs, anyway. Tell Harry I'm going to come and see him tomorrow morning."

When Draco entered his and Severus's quarters, he found his father sitting at the table, correcting papers. Severus didn't look up as he spoke to his son.

"It's late," he stated. Draco looked at his watch and saw that it was just after curfew.

"Sorry. I was upstairs with Harry and Remus. Um...I found Harry outside in the rain, and we talked, and I brought him in. He knows what's wrong with him."

At this statement, Severus looked up, raising his eyebrows. Draco continued to explain.

"He had a dream. Lucius gave him a potion. Messed up his mind and caused depression. Harry's researched it and said there's no cure, and that all of the previous victims of the potion lasted less than two years."

At these words, Severus's face paled. Draco watched him curiously as Severus seemed to be thinking to himself. Finally, the older man spoke up.

"What does he remember about the potion?"

"It was red. A red light surrounded him after he drank it, and then there was pain all through his body. Do you know what it is?" Severus gave a mirthless laugh.

"Do I know what it is?" he repeated. He sighed, shaking his head. "I was one of the people who helped develop it, back when I was a...Death Eater... Merlin, how did I not recognize the signs?!"

Severus rose from his chair and began to pace back and forth across the floor, clutching his head in his hands and muttering to himself. Draco watched, a shocked and worried expression on his face.

"Dad?" he said, uncertainly. "Dad, please, you're kind of scaring me."

Severus stopped pacing and dropped down to the sofa, his head in his hands as he rested his elbows on his knees. Draco sat next to his father and placed a hand on his back.

"It's called the Mentalius Potion," Severus explained, softly. "Back when I was about nineteen, I helped to create it, along with two other Death Eaters. It causes depression, yes, and a form of schizophrenia. The victim is fine one minute, and then nearly insane the next. When they're on the down-side of the depression, they do things without even realizing it. It's kind of like a form of the Imperius, where they're in a sort of trance. Once they do whatever they've done, they break from the trance and don't remember anything about it. It's like there's another person in their body and mind, doing those things."

"Like Harry's suicide attempt," Draco murmured. Severus nodded in affirmation. "Do you know of the cure, then?"

"I spent a great deal of time trying to develop a remedy for Mentalius," Severus sighed. "I came quite close to figuring it out, about two or three years ago, but then a lot of things came up and started to go out of control, so I dropped the project. I may still have the notes somewhere around here, however."

"I hope so," Draco said, softly, as he stood up. "The pressure's on you now, Dad. I think it's all up to you."

"I'm sorry, Draco." Severus's voice was laced with guilt. "I never would have thought-- Oh, bloody hell. Forget about it. I'll search for those notes. You go to bed."

"Good night, Dad. Don't stay up too late, all right? And you might feel guilty, but don't beat yourself up about it. You're not to blame."