I took this quiz (I know this is way off topic), but it's "Which
Draco Malfoy Are You?"... haha, I got Slashy!Draco. Pfft. Like I didn't
see THAT coming. Here's the link if anyone's interested:
draco.freewebspace ... dot com? yeah. well, it won't let me
post the actual link, so yeah, just go to draco.freewebspace dot
com. it's fun! share with your friends!
Also, for those of you who download songs... I highly
recommend "Your Armor" by Charlotte Martin. I listen to that song
constantly when writing this story. She has a few songs that I feel
relate to this story, in a way. Or at least I relate them to the story
when I listen to them lol. In fact, I stole the title of one of
her songs for my story! "Chasing A Shadow." :)
Moving along to the important part... the reviewers!
Hatch & Lindsey - looooove you guys!! :) Thanks for all your support. You know how I get about my stories, haha. It's a love/hate thing.
fanficfan4life - Thanks! Some interesting things will happen between them. Harry's going to be more frustrated than ever!
Lani - Thank you!!! :) I think it's my favorite, too. Well, I know Harry!Draco is, but post-Hogwarts makes for a very interesting read, I've discovered.
Iset - Awesome, thank you!!
ssjmiraitrks - I know, I feel bad for him too. For once, he can't be entirely blamed for the way he is. Thanks for your review!
printers - Thanks!! insert love here
FieldOfPaperFlowers - Is this soon enough? lol ;) Thank you!! :)
M'Lady - Oh, there will be plenty of fights... And maybe some other things too! You'll have to read and find out, though :) As for who falls in love first... Well, I won't tell you if you're right or wrong, but you'll learn a few things about it in this chapter!
Immortal Tears of - Haha, thank you!! :)
Jazzylady - Well, you WILL find out how Hermione and Ron will react. However, it won't be for several more chapters. But they will be making another appearance! Thank you for the review!!
Do I use enough smilies? :P Okay, enjoy this chapter! :)
I'm making my own line.
Chapter 6
Scars are souvenirs you never lose
The past is never far
Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy stepped out of the fireplace of a small furniture store. Draco had become paler–if possible–and a light shade of green. He was hunched over beside Harry, one hand clutching his chest as if he would have a heart attack at any moment, the other grabbing aimlessly at Harry's sleeve in an attempt to hold his balance.
"You said you lived outside of London–you didn't tell me you bloody live in Greece!" Draco cried. "I thought I'd die before we made it! And what kind of house is this?!" Harry rolled his eyes and brushed his shirt off with his hands.
"It's a furniture shop, Malfoy. I live a few blocks away. Aurors aren't allowed to have their fireplaces connected to the Floo Network," Harry explained in a bored tone. "Do you think you'll be able to walk or will you throw up all over the place?"
"Oh, shut up, Potter. I told you I've never flooed before, and the trip to St. Mungo's didn't take a third of the time that this did."
"Well, the doctor said that you're in perfect health, so let's get walking." Draco stood up straight and let out an exasperated sigh. After spending half a day with him, Harry realized that Draco was still as whiny as he was in Hogwarts.
The two left the shop and found themselves in the middle of an open air wizard market. Practically every merchant said hello to Harry as they walked, offering him free bags of apricots, pitas, and pistachios. Despite his protests, by the time they reached the end of the market, Harry had done his grocery shopping for the week . . . and hadn't paid for any of it. Draco took a few bags from Harry and carried them the rest of the way home.
"Even here you're Mr. Popular," Draco said with a smirk. Harry looked at their bags and laughed.
"I guess," he said.
"Why do you live in Greece anyway?"
"Dunno, really. I was here once a few years ago on an assignment and I just loved the area. It's a nice escape from things sometimes. In a way, I guess too much has happened back at home. I can't handle it there, seeing all these things that remind me of Sirius and Remus and Hogwarts . . . " Harry paused and began to blush. "I don't know why I just told you that." He hadn't even told Ron and Hermione his real motives for moving to Greece.
"Don't worry, Potter. Your secret's safe with me," said Draco.
After only a few more minutes, the two found themselves in front of a Mediterranean mansion. It was a two-story home with flat, white walls and a covered porch viewable only through two large archways. The windows on the first floor were also grandiose and arched. The backyard wasn't really a yard at all, but a stony floor with an in-ground pool. Harry sighed softly and smiled.
"Here we are," he said. He practically ran to the front door, muttering spells once he was there–he kept locking spells on the house for security. He put one of the bags on the ground and pulled his wand from his back pocket. Pointing it at the door, he said, "Alohomora." The door swung open. Placing his wand back in his pocket, Harry picked up the bag and looked back at Draco who was still standing on the sidewalk. "Well, come on!" Harry called to him. Draco hesitated before slowly making his way to the front door. He glanced at Harry and stepped inside. Harry closed the door behind him.
They were standing at the entrance to a vast living room. To their right were two white couches in the corner of the room. Across from them was a huge stone fireplace. To their left was a sweeping, curved staircase that led to the second floor. Underneath it was an archway that led to the kitchen, and against the back wall with the fireplace was another archway that led to the dining room.
"My last experience in someone's house wasn't very pleasant," said Draco.
"Don't worry about that right now," said Harry.
"I'm going to have to worry about it, aren't I? You are planning to question me further. Can we put these bags somewhere?" asked Draco, irritably.
"Right," said Harry, suddenly feeling a bit guilty. He led Draco through an archway into the kitchen. Once they laid the groceries on the counter, Harry retrieved his wand and flicked it once at the bags. Immediately, the groceries began to put themselves away. The two of them trailed back into the living room. Draco spotted a black telephone on the wall, close to one of the archways.
"A Muggle telephone?" he asked. Harry nodded.
"I use it mostly to call Ron and Hermione," he explained. Shrugging slightly, he added, "I don't use it very much."
"Hmm," was all Draco said, seeming rather uninterested in the phone. "So, you also failed to mention that you live in a mansion. I figured you weren't low on money, but you never struck me as one for expensive possessions."
"I'm not, really. But when you've spent almost half your life living in a cupboard, you'll splurge on a big house. Trust me, I don't live a lavish lifestyle," explained Harry.
"You lived in a cupboard?" asked Draco. Harry ignored the question.
"I'll show you to your room." To Harry's surprise–and relief–Draco didn't press the subject. Draco followed Harry up the set of curved stairs. They then walked down a wide hallway and stepped in front of the second door on the right.
The room in which Draco would be staying was larger than he had expected. It had a king-sized canopy bed with red blankets, a sitting area with red couches and pillows, and dark wood finish on everything. Across from the bed was a glass door that led to a marble balcony, decorated with lounge chairs and hanging plants.
"I hope this is okay," said Harry. Draco snorted, then looked very serious.
"I was expecting bigger," he replied. Harry stared at him, silent. Draco rolled his eyes. "A joke, Potter. This is fine."
"Oh. Right," Harry said, running a hand through his hair. "I'll have to get used to you telling jokes," he said with a small laugh.
"Guess so," said Draco, but he didn't appear to be paying attention. "Before we go through the interrogation process, mind if I take a shower?"
"Oh, uh, yeah. That's fine. I can lend you some clothes–"
"I have clothes. I used a shrinking spell on them so I could carry them in my cloak. However, it seems my wand has been confiscated," said Draco with raised eyebrows.
Harry rolled his eyes. "I'll do it," he said. Draco reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small bag, the size of a change purse. He dropped it onto the floor between himself and Harry. When Harry flicked his wand, the bag grew to its normal size.
"There," said Harry. Draco flashed him a quick smile and retrieved his bag from the floor. Harry pointed to another door to their left. "There's the bathroom. Just come downstairs when you're done and we'll go over the questions."
"Can't wait," Draco said dryly.
-----
Harry had been sitting at his mahogany dining table in silence while Draco showered. He held a glass bottle in his hand filled with a clear liquid that had the consistency of cough syrup. The liquid was Veritaserum. Harry gazed at the bottle, tilting it back and forth in his hand. He was beginning to feel guilty about the fact that in a matter of minutes, he'd be making Draco drink the contents. If Draco's story was indeed true, Harry didn't want him to have to retell it. Harry himself could hardly stand to speak of his own murders–
To his relief, his thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of footsteps. Harry looked up to see Draco entering the room. Before he could stand, Draco waved at him in a dismissive manner.
"Don't bother standing–I'll be sitting before you're even up," Draco said as he settled into his seat. "See?" Harry was unresponsive, resting his elbows onto the table. Draco continued, "Are you planning to write this down?" He eyed a piece of parchment and quill beside Harry's right arm.
"Yes," Harry said stiffly. "I'm sorry, but it's my job–"
"I know, Potter. I don't need to hear any excuses," said Draco. He didn't seem any more comfortable with the situation. "Can we just do this?"
"Sure," Harry replied softly. He reached his hand across the table–the one holding the bottle of Veritaserum. Draco took the bottle and uncorked it. He drank it without hesitation. A look of disgust spread on his face.
"Bloody Merlin! Are you trying to kill me?!" Draco exclaimed. Harry had taken Veritaserum during his Auror training, and it was by far the worst thing he'd ever tasted. He guessed it was because sometimes, the truth left a bitter taste in your mouth. Harry glanced at his wristwatch. He'd have roughly one hour to question Draco before the potion wore off.
"We'll start," said Harry, moving the parchment in front of him and picking up the quill. "Please tell me your full name."
"Draco Lucius Malfoy," Draco replied instantly.
"Your age?"
"25 as of February 12th."
"How do you know Nott Jugson?"
"He was a Death Eater and had come to my home on a few occasions to speak with my father," Draco replied.
"Did you ever go to Nott Jugson's home?"
"Yes."
"Tell me what happened while you were there." Draco told Harry the story, and it was almost identical to that which he told at the Auror Headquarters. And it was still true–Draco killed Nott Jugson.
Harry glanced over his notes before continuing the questions. He cleared his throat.
"Have you ever worked as a prostitute?" Harry asked, avoiding having to look Draco in the eye.
"Yes."
"Were most of your–er, customers–men?"
"The majority of them were, yes," said Draco.
"Are you a homosexual?"
"Yes."
Harry dropped his quill. He hastily retrieved it.
"Are you sure?" Harry asked before he could stop himself. Draco Malfoy was gay?
"Yes, I'm sure," Draco replied. Harry was grateful the Veritaserum caused Draco to be fairly robotic, so that he wouldn't respond to Harry's dumbfounded questions.
"I see. Are you in a relationship?" asked Harry curiously. He immediately wanted to slap himself. What are you doing?! he thought.
"No," answered Draco. Harry quickly decided to keep his questions related to the case.
"Right. Um, so, Nott Jugson. You said he had gone to your manor when you were younger?"
"Yes, many Death Eaters frequently came to the manor."
"Do you know the whereabouts of . . . " Harry glanced over the list of living Death Eaters, "Antonin Dolohov?"
"No."
"What about Rodolphus Lestrange?"
"Dead. Voldemort killed him right before the war and destroyed the body."
Harry continued asking about the Death Eaters, discovering that, in the end, only two were unaccounted for–Dolohov and Walden Macnair. It was also evident after the questioning that Draco had told Harry the truth in his office about everything. Despite his better thinking, Harry sat back in his chair and decided to take advantage of the fact that Draco could not lie for at least another fifteen minutes.
"So," said Harry, drumming his fingers on the table, "What do you think of me?" Draco didn't seem to notice the sudden change in subjects.
"I've always been a bit jealous of you. However, you try too hard to make everybody like you. You can't face the facts that some people will hate you no matter what you do. You can't always be a hero," Draco said plainly. Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Do you hate me?" he asked.
"I did, through most of school."
"Why?"
"Because despite everything, you were still perfect. Despite having no parents, having an insane lunatic and his cronies after your life, you were everything I couldn't be. You had friends who loved you, you were the best seeker Hogwarts had ever seen, and no matter what I did, I couldn't add up," Draco explained without a hint of emotion in his voice. Harry glanced down at his hands.
"I wasn't perfect," he muttered. He raised his eyes to Draco and asked, "Why did you stop hating me?"
"Once my father was sent to Azkaban, I was afraid that my aristocratic lifestyle was about to end. And I was right, it did–but I was grateful for it. I knew in my heart that my father was an evil man, but he was still my father. I still tried to love him. I hated you for taking him from me, for changing my life." Draco paused, and if Harry wasn't mistaken, a flicker of sadness shone in his eyes. "Voldemort murdered my father. And then he murdered my mother. I realized that this is the same thing that he had done to you, only my parents were supposed to be his followers. For the first time in my life, I understood you. I was taught that families like the Weasleys were inferior because they were poor . . . and I finally understood what you saw in them. You saw a family–something that was taken away from you. When we went back to Hogwarts during sixth year, I noticed how you had changed. For a while, I was almost positive you were going to give up the fight. I thought of you as a coward for this, even though I was still tricked into believing Voldemort would help my family. A year had passed, and my father was still in Azkaban. He finally escaped the summer before seventh year, and I watched as Voldemort cursed him for not escaping sooner. I watched my father cower before the Dark Lord. Once school had begun again, I immediately told Dumbledore everything that I could about the Death Eaters. I knew I was betraying my family, but this was a small price to pay once I realized that in the end, Voldemort was only in it for himself.
"You had been right all along," Draco continued. "If I had joined the Order, my parents would have been murdered much sooner. I decided to stay away from both sides if I could once I told Dumbledore all that I knew. I tried to just ignore you completely afterwards. If I didn't have the heart to help you, I was unwilling to continue to hurt you."
Harry stayed silent for a moment, replaying Draco's words in his head. Draco understood Harry. They had gone from being polar opposites, to now understanding each other.
"I see," he said finally. Draco now appeared to be suppressing a smirk.
"It became very hard to ignore you during seventh year, though," said Draco. Harry furrowed his brow.
"Why's that?"
"Well, I had a crush on you that year."
Harry was almost positive that his heart had stopped beating.
"Shut up," Harry said defensively. So, Draco did. Harry then remembered that Draco was forced to tell the truth, so he must have been serious. "I mean, um . . . Well, why didn't you do anything about it?"
"I knew you would have turned me down in an instant, and I loathe rejection. It was better for me to stay away than actually try."
"You don't know that I would have turned you down," Harry said quietly. Then he sighed. "Okay, I probably would have. But do you blame me? From the first moment I met you, you were a prat!"
"I was eleven!" Draco said with a roll of his eyes. "And you're forgetting who raised me. Of course that's how I was going to act. Anyway, even if I had thought you'd accept me, I still wouldn't have tried to start anything with you. I saw you as a fun shag, but you were far too prudish and arrogant." To this, Harry laughed scornfully.
"I was arrogant? I believe I'm talking to Draco Malfoy, the most conceited Slytherin in my class. And I am not a prude."
"We were both arrogant, but in different ways. You still are, really. You've never wanted to accept help from anyone unless it had to do with your schoolwork. Just last week when we talked in the Leaky Cauldron, you wouldn't tell me anything about your case because you immediately assumed I couldn't help . . . Or perhaps you just didn't want help. I believe you have a partner, and on how much of this case has she worked?"
"I just prefer to do things myself," Harry argued.
"Whatever, Potter. Look, the Veritaserum wore off already, so I'm just going to go to bed," said Draco suddenly, standing from his seat. It took only a split second for Harry to register what Draco had said before he was also standing.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Harry exclaimed. He looked down at his watch and realized that in fact, the hour was up. He had lost track of time. Truthfully, he couldn't even remember when exactly he had started the questioning in the first place.
"I'm tired, so I'll talk to you tomorrow. 'Night," said Draco, yawning and stretching his arms into the air. Harry stared at him stupidly, wanting to argue and scream and throw things, but he couldn't. All he could do was stare. Draco raised his eyebrows, smirked, and walked from the room.
Harry slumped down in his chair and laid his head on the table, covering his neck with his arms. He couldn't believe it. After seven years, he had again been outsmarted by Draco Malfoy.
Please R/R!!! There will be an explanation of sorts on the veritaserum incident in the next chapter. Also, I don't really know if it's that gross or not, but it gave Draco something to complain about ;)
