Disclaimer: If I were J.K Rowling, I would flaunt it. As I'm not flaunting it, I'm not J.K Rowling.
Title: Madness Within.
Author: Aelzah
Summary: Harry's feeling guilty over his Godfather's death and can't understand why his friends aren't sending him letters. When he gets an owl from the person he least expects, what can happen? D/H slash or friendship, up to you. Worried friends, plans by the Dark Lord, gorgeous owls, heavily-weighed down but sarcastic Potter and angry (hilarious), confused Malfoy! R/r!
Rating: PG-13. Or in the new rating: T.
Chapter: Two Letters, letters and letters.
(D: How original... Wait a... She's still writing! OW! Panse, that hurt. pout
Pansy: rolls eyes Ooh! I'm so excited. Go Aelzah! )
L (authoress): Ignores Here ya go!
Draco sat quietly in his velvet armchair, his legs bent over the right arm rest, his head resting on the left one. He had just received a letter from the Dark Lord's servant, Wormtail, and was worried. Very worried. So much so that he was actually not smirking for once.
Boy,
The Dark Lord has need of your services. You are to start a friendly and supportive correspondence with Potter in order to lure him to our side or to our Lord so he can be dealt with. He is not receiving any letters from his 'friends' due to interference by our side, and as such, is alone and more than likely depressed due to Sirius Black's death. Be 'nice' to him, boy, and do not forget to mention that you are thinking of joining his side.
Be cunning. Make no hint, absolutely NONE, that this is a plot. You will be called to talk to the Dark Lord of your progress before the start of the school year.
He expects MUCH progress by then. Do not let him down.
Wormtail.
Draco ran a hand through his blond hair, his silver eyes narrowed and let out an explosive sigh. He was to start a correspondence with Potter? What was he to say? He could barely imagine:
'Dear Potter,
So sorry for your loss, even though it was my father and his colleagues who caused it. Hope you want to be friends.
Your hated enemy,
Draco Malfoy.'
Right. Well, if he wanted to stay alive, he had to do this right. Besides, Potter was a thick, dependent, overly-trustful Gryffindor, correct? Then all Draco had to do was play on his emotions and voila! One savior delivered to the Dark Lord. Brilliant. He knew the Deatheaters wouldn't be reading the letters, as any sign at all that they had been read would put Potter on his guard. That at least, gave Draco some freedom.
With a groan, Draco dragged himself to an elegant hand-carved mahogany desk and pulled out the finest parchment and the best deep-green ink money could buy. He dipped his eagle feather quill into the ink and started writing.
Potter,
I would like to start off by saying that I know you don't like me, and that you most likely won't believe what I am about to write: I am sorry for everything I have said about you or your friends in the past.
Please understand that I was under my father's thumb for too long, nursing a growing doubt in my mind over the Dark Lord's greatness. (True enough, Draco thought.)
When Lucius was finally caught, I couldn't have been more relieved. He was a complete bastard to my mother and I. He'd been putting pressure on me to join the Dark Lord for some time now, and I was going to do it this summer only so I wouldn't be killed, but now that he's gone I'm almost free. Thank you for that.
I was insulting you at the end of last year instead of thanking you because I still wasn't sure that the Dark Lord was a fake. I had wondered if he was going to help my father escape. He has lost mostly all interest in us, because my father is no longer any help. I fear that he will soon want me to join him to mqke up for my father's mistakes.
We lost our value, and I am no longer under surveillance from my father's spies, but I am not sure how long this will last. I would like to tell you where my real allegiances lie. I want to be who I am, and I am slowly finding that this new me doesn't want to go around killing innocents like my father and his Lord wish me to .
Please accept my sincerest apologies everything. I beg for you to let me start over.
Draco.
With a sigh, Draco tried to settle his nervous stomach and sent the letter quickly. His owl knew Potter's magic from school and would be able to find him easily. He really hoped the other boy believed him. Next he had to write a cringing letter of agreement to Wormtail, then a letter to Pansy. How dull.
Mr. Wormtail,
I am so proud to be chosen by the Dark Lord and Master for such a task. I extend my support and full cooperation. I have already sent the first letter and it is full of apologies and love for muggle and mudblood filth. I am sure the idiotic Gryffindor will believe every word.
I am and always have been the Dark Lord's humble slave, He may do with me as he wishes. ('Cross your fingers, Draco.')
His Lordliness's servant for eternity,
Draco Malfoy.
What an idiotic letter. Full of adoration. Draco sent it off with one of his family's owls, and settled down to write another letter, this time to his best friend.
Pansy,
I have just been sent instructions to become Potter's friend, from the DW. (Dark Wanker, name courtesy of Goyle in a rare moment of thought.)I quote: "Be 'nice' to him, boy, and do not forget to mention that you are thinking of joining his side."
How irritating. However, as I really don't wish to die at such a young age, and counting the fact that, as you once said, I'm too cute to die before my looks give out(which they never will) I wrote a letter to Potter 'confessing' that I want to try and start over.
Well, that's all. Quite uneventful. Couldn't they have just left me alone after Lucius was taken away? It would solve all my problems. Grr... Anyway, I have to go have lunch with mother now. You know how fun that is.
Tata, Draco.
(And, Pansy, please notice the 'c' and the 'o' after 'Dra'. No 'y'. I am tired of you addressing your letters to 'Dray'. Thank you, you insufferable woman.)
It was true that he had to go eat with his mother now. A house elf had just popped into the room and told him that the Lady Malfoy awaited him. 'She just can't leave well enough alone, can she?' Draco asked himself silently as he walked down a long emerald-carpeted hall. 'I still talk to her don't I?'
qpqpqpqp
Harry sat on the floor of his room, his upper body supported by the wall. His emerald green eyes were shaded by the dark purple smudges underneath them and his eyelids were bruised and felt like they weighed a ton, but this was mostly hidden behind his round glasses. His cheekbones caused shadows on his pale skin and his lips were white and cracked but felt like they were covered in foam. His hair made for an interesting contrast laying on his pale forehead, while covering his burning lightening bolt scar.
He was staring at a plate of rubbery eggs and dry toast that had come with a glass of water sent up to him by Aunt Petunia, but he wasn't feeling at all hungry, even though he knew he needed to force himself to eat. He had just sent another letter to the Order, and he felt the loss of companionship more keenly than he had before he had written it. To distract himself from his quickly-turning-depressive thoughts, he quickly reached towards the plate and stuck some toast in his mouth, chewing and swallowing thickly.
As he made his way through the toast, his mind wandered back towards the nightmare he had. He had been back at the Cemetery, tied to Sirius' grave with Remus staring down at him like he had stared at Wormtail in 3rd year. Ron and Hermione had come out of the ground and both looked as Cedric had, pale with wide, staring eyes. They had all started moving in on him, while he begged pitifully for forgiveness. The last straw had been when Sirius had suddenly floated out of a flapping veil and screamed at Harry, his eyes rolling, morphing into the portrait of his mother at Grimmauld Place. Harry had woken up then, drenched in cold sweat and clinging to his blankets like a life line.
He swallowed slowly and tried to stop the bile from rising in his throat. He made it to the small trash can in the corner of his room just in time to vomit up all the toast he had just swallowed. A couple minutes of dry heaving and coughing, then Harry slowly sat up on his knees, his arms shaking and his head ringing hollowly.
He reached mechanically for a dirty shirt laying on his floor and dumped half of his water glass on it and washed his face as well as he could. Once done, he rested his back against the cool wall again and tried to calm himself. This hadn't been the first time he had vomited because of a hellish nightmare.
He took a short look at the breakfast plate and closed his mouth tightly as he felt his stomach twitch. No food then. He figured he couldn't go wrong with water and dumped the rest of the glass in his mouth, only to find that it had been a bad idea when his empty stomach revolted and he spent a couple of minutes spitting up water and stomach acid.
He carefully struggled onto his bed and collapsed falling into a slightly feverish troubled sleep. When he woke up an hour or two later, he saw a beautiful owl sitting still as a statue it's eyes fixed on Hedwig's. He scrambled forward, retrieving his glasses from the floor, and grabbed the letter greedily startling both of the owls out of their staring match.
It might be from Ron or Hermione! He thought hurriedly as he unrolled the thick parchment, his mind and stomach flipping around. When he read the name at the bottom of the letter, he dropped it in disgust, his heart sinking back down to somewhere around his knees. What the hell was the spawn of Voldemort's best mate doing writing to him? He asked himself confusedly, almost insanely. A small voice responded snidely at the back of his mind. 'I don't think you care at this point. At least someone remembers that you're alive.'
He stared tiredly at the parchment laying deceptively innocent on the floor. He could make out a few words written in an emerald ink, and eventually the curiosity got to him. He sat down cross legged on the floor, taking a minute to let his eyes clear from the white dots dancing at the edge of his vision, then cautiously read the letter.
qpqpqpqp
Hermione was waiting for a response from Remus Lupin while she absently read one of her new books, a notepad and pen in one hand for note taking. She couldn't believe that Harry was ignoring her, but it was either that or someone was intercepting the letters, and she knew Dumbledore wouldn't have let that go on for long. So, with a confused heart and mind she had written to Lupin as suggested by Ron.
Her letter had expressed her worry about Harry, quotes from her books, and more worry. She knew her mother and father were downstairs, talking about work, both equally worried about her, but she couldn't bring herself to socialize at the moment. She had stayed upstairs for the last two days, and they must have seen owls flying to and from the house.
While Hermione did keep the most dangerous aspects of the Wizarding World hidden from her parents, they were far from oblivious and knew that something was happening in their daughter's strange world and that it revolved around one of her friends. They just didn't know what.
Hopefully, Hermione would soon feel confident in them enough to explain.
qpqpqpqp
Dumbledore stared out the window, his long beard glinting in the sun. He knew hiding Harry away at the Dursley's was bad for Harry's mental health, but he didn't know how bad it was going to be for himself when Harry was returned to Hogwarts. He didn't know that all the letters were being intercepted, because Harry still sent his regular letters every three days, and he didn't know that a friendship might be in the process of being forged between Draco Malfoy and the boy-who-lived.
He couldn't know these things, but he did suspect something. Something can be anything, as everyone knows. It can be bad or good, but it can't be nothing. So, Dumbledore, in later years, won't be able to say he was absolutely blameless, unless he lies and the Great Albus Dumbledore never lies.
qpqpqpqp
Voldemort read the letter from Malfoy in silence, Wormtail cowering as usual by His feet, then smiled cruelly. Oh yes, Potter would be his. This Malfoy heir sounded extremely devoted. He could use that. Showing his dismissal with a flick of his hand, Wormtail bowed and scraped his way out of the room, scared out of what little wits he had by the evil smile playing on his Master's face.
The plan was working perfectly.
Or so He thought.
(TBC)
Draco: Well, The one and only Draco Malfoy here! Aelzah...left for a while. Of her own free will of course... ignores muffled yelling in background >
This chapter is finished, thank Merlin, and I hope she doesn't write another one. No reviews if you don't want her to write anymore.
Now, in an unfathomable show of generosity, I, yes, I, The Wonderful Draco Malfoy, am going to answer your pitiful reviews!
Harry: Dray-co? Where are you?
D: Uh..nevermind, I have to go... Bye! Runs away with Harry hot on his trail>
Pansy: Yes! He's gone. Anyway, don't mind him. Your reviews were wonderful! We have a grand total of two votes for slashy yummy goodness, and I am quite inclined to um...persuade Ael to write Slash... But she also needs persuasion from you lovely readers! So ignore Dray and review to your hearts content!
Anywhomy's I have to go now and free Ael. Also, Dray is coming. (Hint: he gets fussy when he's not in control. )
Draco: Back! Okay, so now... wait one second! Potter/ me slash? Friendship? What are you on about! I'm trying to give him to the Dark Wanker! Pansy! That's just gross! Wait, Pansy...!
runs off after Pansy to torture explanations out of her.>
P: Sh...don't talk too loud, or he'll find me, but remember to review! Tata, lovelies! skips away>
Ael: Free at last! Hope you like chap. 2! It's a bit shorter than the 1st, but still good I think.
For the reviewers:
shifty eyes: I don't like spelling mistakes either but you know that you misspelled 'really' right? Heehee, just kidding! I don't like reading stories where you can't understand anything, but one or two mistakes are fine. I'm sure there'll be some in here eventually.Dumbledore is keeping the prophecy to himself, for one) so they don't whisk Harry off, for two) because if the info got back to Voldie, it would be minus a point for the light side. Thanks for dropping a review and for voting!
HandsOff: Mucho slashy goodness, eh? Coolio! First vote counts as three! Keep reading and you might get what you wish for! Beaucoup thanks for reviewing.
athenalaughed: Thank you for your review! I lerve my little people... Though they can get annoying when they tie you up and try to write for you. Psychological games comin' right up! Poor poor characters... they are going to be so tortured... Hope you keep reading.
Forever the slave to the twisted plot bunnies of my evil perverse mind,
Aelzah.
