Two Roads Diverged

by Beldaran1

HPDM Slash! What if something happened that changed the course for Harry and Draco? What if there was more to the enemy than first appeared? What if there were other outside forces that were to play a part in the conflict between Light and Dark? Hmm.

1. Prologue History Interupted

Title: Two Roads Diverged

Author: Beldaran1

Email: drh74@dellmail.com

Pairing: Harry/Draco

Rating: Strong R

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, no money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  Also, the poetry preceding the story is from Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken.

Spoilers: HP Books 1-4

Genre: This is a Slash (this means boy/boy loving) story so be warned!!!

Summary: What if something happened that changed the course for Harry and Draco?  What if there was more to the enemy than first appeared?  What if there were other outside forces that were to play a part in the conflict between Light and Dark?  Hmm.

Author's Notes: I just wanted to state that while there shouldn't be any spoilers from OOTP, I have read the book and some things in this story may be colored by that knowledge.  However, I will attempt to post warnings where this issue may occur.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

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Prologue:  History Interrupted

Muggle London

Narcissa Black contemplated the pretty little flower with all of the concentration and wonder her six year old self could muster.  She didn't know the name of the flower, but it was such a brilliant shade of yellow (her favorite color) that she couldn't help but feel awed at its sheer magnificence.  She had been so excited when her Grandmother had suggested an outing to one of the more popular parks in muggle London, anything to get away from her horrid cousin Sirius (who was also staying with Grandmother for the summer) and his equally horrid friends James, Remus, Lucius, and Severus (who were, unfortunately, visiting for a fortnight).

Narcissa sighed contently at the flower and reached out to gently cup the yellow bloom in her hand, its delicate yellow petals brushing ever so softly against her fingers made a bubbly feeling of joy well up inside her.  She had just about decided to pick the magnificent little flower to show to Grandmother when her thoughts were interrupted by a cry of "Look Out!", directly followed by a ball hitting her in the back.  Startled, she fell forward with a yelp of pain that was quickly forgotten when she felt the soft petals in her closed fist.

"Oh no," she muttered in dismay, "I crushed it."  Looking down she slowly opened her hand and beheld the crushed ruins of the yellow flower she had just been admiring.  Narcissa felt tears well up in her eyes and her lips begin to tremble as a feeling of overwhelming grief swept through her; she'd killed the pretty little flower.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." 

Narcissa looked up at hearing the soft apology and blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall.  "Are you quite all right?  The ball got away from us and I'm really sorry it hit you." 

Narcissa blinked again as the girl continued to question and apologize, and then she sighed finally answering the girl, "No, I'm quite fine.  It's just that I broke my flower."

"Wow, I didn't know, I…I…I'm terribly sorry."  Again the girl apologized and looked to be on the verge of tears herself, her large green eyes shimmering beneath red lashes.

"It's okay." Narcissa sighed taking pity on the girl, "It's just that it was such a brilliant shade of yellow and I wanted to show it to Grandmother."

"Ahh, I see, well um my name is Lily Evans."  Lily smiled brightly and then turned slightly to pull a small brown-haired girl that was hiding behind her out into the open, "And this is my little sister Petunia, but we all just call her Tuni.  Say hi Tuni."

"Hi." Petunia said softly with a shy smile, "I'm four."

"Uh, hi Lily, Tuni,"  Narcissa smiled up at both of the girls, and then picking up the ball that had hit her, she stood up and held it out to Lily.  "I think this belongs to you, and um my name is Narcissa Black and I'm six years old and you can call me Nari.  Oh and it's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too Nari and thank you." Lily grinned as she took the ball from Narcissa, "I'm six years old too, isn't it great!  Why I bet we're going to be the greatest of friends, I can just feel it, can't you?"

"Yes," Narcissa said slowly as she looked back and forth between the two sisters, "I do feel it, and I think you're quite right, we are going to be the greatest of friends."

~~*~~*~~*~~

The Leaky Cauldron

Ten Years Later

"Well," Lily groaned as she gently massaged her temples where she could feel a headache coming on, "It could be worse."  She flinched as the sound of voices raised in anger increased in tempo with the addition of fists slamming down on the table top as point after point was attempted to be made.

"Merlin's Sake Lil, I don't see how!"  Narcissa exclaimed and then shuddered at the sheer level of venom that was being flung back and forth across the table as James and Sirius tried to out shout Lucius and Severus.

"Well, you gotta admit Nari; at least they haven't come to blows," Petunia said wryly and then gasped and leaned back in her seat as Sirius took offense at something Severus said and lunged across the table, "uh yet."

They all three gave a collective sigh of relief as Remus managed to wrestle Sirius back into his seat before he could get his hands on Severus.  More and more lately, their gatherings were becoming volatile as opposing viewpoints and beliefs threatened to tear apart lifelong friendships.  It was completely baffling to Lily that the guys were so willing to let differences break bonds that had endured for over ten years, when they should be doing everything in their power to strengthen those bonds.

"Listen Malfoy, Riddle is nothing but a power hungry manic who will bring devastating ruin to both the wizarding world and muggle world alike!"

"No Potter you're wrong!  Tom Riddle is the wizarding world's only hope for salvation, it's fools like Dumbledore and Weasley that will be the cause of devastation!"

Lily exchanged another worried glance with Narcissa as their boyfriends continued to yell at one another.  It scared her to see such hatred blazing in James and Lucius' eyes, to see their faces twisted in anger instead of smiling in friendship; and the sudden use of their last names when addressing one another sent an alarming chill of dismay down her spine.

'What if this continues to get worse?' She thought to herself, 'Will this eventually lead to me having to choose between my love and my best friend?  I love James so much, but I also love Nari just as I love Tuni, like a sister.' 

Worry and sudden doubt threatened to consume her until she felt a soft hand take a hold of her own and give it a gentle squeeze.  Looking up, she saw her sister giving her a sympathetic smile; her warm brown eyes full of understanding and love, and then she looked over to Nari and saw a similar expression reflected in her deep blue eyes, and Lily couldn't help but return the smile as a feeling of love and determination filled her.

'No.' Lily vowed silently, 'I won't let myself be forced into such a stupid decision.  What ever it takes I won't let anything break the bonds I share with Nari and Tuni, nor the one I share with James.'

~~*~~*~~*~~

St. Mungo's Hospital

Maternity Ward

Four Years Later

"Come on Nari, you can do it!"

"SHUT UP LUCIUS, ohhhhhhhhh Merlin it hurts!"

"That's it Mrs. Malfoy you're doing great.  Another big push ought to do it."

"I can't…I'm so tired…I just can't…"

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"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"That's it Lil, you're doing great!  Oh love I'm so proud of you!"

"James Potter, if you touch me again so help me Merlin I'll rip your arms off and beat you- AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

"Uh okay Mrs. Potter, I can see the baby's head now.  I believe one more push will do it…um Mr. Potter sir…um maybe you should stand back over here for now."

"Yes James! Stay the bloody hell over there before I- AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

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"OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

"Keep pushing Mrs. Malfoy…keep pushing."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Just a little more Mrs. Potter…we're almost there."

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy…you've got a healthy baby boy!!"

"Oh Lucius, he's beautiful…and his eyes, he's got your eyes."

"Merlin, but he's handsome Nari…bald, but quite the handsome young chap none the less love…he's quite magnificent."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Potter…you've got a healthy baby boy!!"

"Lil look at him!  He's absolutely amazing…perfect in every way and he's got your beautiful green eyes."

"James, oh James I love you so much…he's beautiful…and such a thick head of black hair for a baby!"

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"We'll name him Draco…Draconis Lucius Malfoy."

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"Harry, that's what we'll name him…Harold James Potter."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Petunia Dursley sat quietly in the Chapel at St. Mungo's and wept silent tears. 

She was so happy for her sister and Nari, giving birth to two such breathtakingly beautiful baby boys.  Her heart was filled with such incredible joy and unbearable pain that she felt as though she would be torn in two.  How she wished she could really be there to share their happiness but she couldn't, she'd already taken such terrible risk coming here to see little Harry and Draco and she couldn't afford for Vernon to find out where she'd been.  He would be so viciously angry; she shuddered at the thought of his reprisal were he to find out.

Praying softly for God to watch over Lil and Nari and the two precious little babies newly born into this world, Petunia wiped the tears from her face and stoically made her way back to her own world.  A world where she was trapped in a hell of her own making with a violent brute for a husband and a baby of her own whom she couldn't quite bring herself to love, no matter how hard she tried.

~~*~~*~~*~~

Malfoy Manor

Two Years Later

Narcissa Malfoy gently picked up her son, her little Dragon, and cradled his warm slumbering body against her own.  She tenderly stroked his baby fine silver hair and smiled softly when Draco sighed in his sleep and nuzzled his head against her chest.  It was only at times like this, in the dead of night while she held her sleeping son, that she was able to let down the walls she had thrown up around herself and grieve.  Grieve for the terrible loss that occurred six months ago, the unbearable loss of her Lily and James.

Betrayal…the worst kind of betrayal.

She would never forgive Lucius for the part he'd played in Lily and James' death, and the only consolation she felt was the knowledge that he and that monster had failed to kill little Harry; that it was Voldemort who was destroyed instead.  The passionate love that had once burned for Lucius like the hottest of fires in her chest had died out leaving charred ashes in its wake.  Lucius would pay for his treachery, of that she was sure.  If it took the rest of her life she would avenge Lily and James.

She would start by making sure her little Dragon didn't grow up to be anything like Lucius, her son was going to be an honorable and courageous man; and above all else he would value loyalty and the Light.

Narcissa placed a gentle kiss on Draco's head and softly whispered, "You will live in the Light and you will grow in the Light; and one day you will be the greatest weapon of Light and you will strike down the Dark that is your father.   This I vow."

Tbc…..

Well, that's it for now.  I should have Chapter 1 of Part I up sometime tonight or early tomorrow!

Let me know what you think…love it…hate it…please leave feedback!

Thank You.