A/n: So, here we are again. HP6, huh? I... It... Damn. When did reading Harry Potter become so painful?
I must say, I'm feeling a bit weird about continuing with the updates. I always knew I'd rather havethis story published before HBP came out, but... There are going to be things in this story that may seem pointless or idiotic to you now, but you'll just have to try to remember it was written before we had this new canon, all right? I'm not going tomodify the story and you'll just have to bear with me.
In the end, this is a slash story about Harry and Draco, above anything else and, I think it's safe to presume, that will never be canon (no matter how much one would like to see it and read more than there is to Rowling's scenes...).
One more thing ("yeah yeah, get on with it," you say), everyone noticed that I posted two chapters before leaving, right? Good.
Now, let's go.
I've seen the future, baby: It is murder
Harry finished dressing up and started packing his things away with a sigh. It was Thursday night and the Gryffindor quidditch practice was over. Harry hadn't gone back to 'the room' since Saturday. He hadn't spoken with Draco either, even though Gryffindor had met Slytherin in the first quidditch game of the season the previous Sunday. The two seeker's had simply played the game, chased the Golden Snitch and went their separate ways.
Originally, Harry had been royally pissed with Draco, but soon his anger had faded. He wanted to go back, but he was scared. Scared, because this separation was driving him insane. He sometimes missed Draco so bad; missed his company, even though the bloke was a total prat. On a night like this, when it was wet and cold, it would have been nice to go up to the second floor and just... anything.
"You coming, Harry?" Ron was already standing by the door.
"Yeah" Harry mumbled, heaving his bag over his shoulder.
The two gryffindors were making their way towards the staircase on the second floor, chatting about quidditch. Harry was the first to notice Draco Malfoy standing on the bottom of the staircase, obviously waiting for something. Harry walked closer cautiously.
"Malfoy, what are you doing here?" Ron was already shouting before they were close enough to talk.
"I have no obligations to tell you, Weasel" Draco said, irritated.
"You watch your mouth, Ferret." Ron was already clenching his fist.
"Or you'll what, turn completely red?" Draco mocked.
Harry didn't want to be here. He didn't want to be this close to Draco and he didn't want to hear Ron and Draco insult each other. Most of all, he didn't want to be included in the fight.
"You Death Eater scum" Ron growled.
"You're such a bloody waste of my time" Draco countered, clearly angry. He quickly glanced at Harry, who was looking at the walls with interest. "Look, even the Boy-who-lived-to-die-of-boredom-thanks-to-you is zoning out."
Ron was looking at Harry too. "Harry. HARRY!"
Harry realized there was two pairs of eyes on him. He quickly turned his attention to Ron. "What? Oh, sorry mate." He looked over to Draco and then back to Ron. "Yeah, I'm with you. You show him. Go team Weasley!" Harry shoved a pitiful fist in the air.
Draco burst out laughing. Ron looked insulted.
"Ron, he wasn't even doing anything to you" Harry tried to reason. "I won't pick on him for merely existing."
Draco's laugh died away and he eyed Harry coolly. "I don't need you defending me."
Harry merely shrugged. "Come on, Ron." The two gryffindors started making their way up the stairs.
"Potter!" Draco called after them. Harry turned around to see Draco standing on the bottom of the stairs, looking up. "Professor Snape wants a word with you."
Harry looked silently down at Draco and the slytherin looked right back.
"What is it now?" Ron murmured. "You want me to come with you?"
"No" Harry said simply. "Can you take my bag?"
"Sure, mate." Ron heaved Harry's bag over his other shoulder and started climbing the stairs. Harry followed Draco to the dungeons.
They didn't go too deep underground before Draco chose a dark side corridor. They walked all the way to the end of it.
Draco took his wand out and cast a faint Lumos. "I doubt anyone will come here, but we have to keep are voices down" Draco said with a quiet voice.
Harry didn't say anything, just nodded.
Draco drew a long breath, closing his eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry about what I said" he said, and opened his eyes, looking at Harry. "For what I did. I don't want to be the aunt, or like my father, but sometimes it's just easier."
Harry frowned. "What is?"
"To belittle" Draco said seriously.
Harry thought about it. "I don't think it's easier" he said. "Not in the long run, anyway. It might be faster, funnier and more safe, but in the end, you'll just be like Snape" Harry finished sourly.
"The aunt, my father and professor Snape, all at once." Draco pretended to be pensive. "How did I ever manage that?"
Harry smiled a bit at that.
Draco became serious again. "I know I don't really have the right to ask this, all things considered" he said, carefully watching Harry. "But I miss y-, your company. Would you just come back?"
He didn't have to clarify what he meant. 'All things considered indeed' Harry thought as he shook his head sadly.
"Why are you doing this?" Harry whispered, without looking directly at Draco. "Don't you understand? You're so lucky. You have it all. The world is truly your oyster." Harry fixed his eyes on Draco's. "You don't have to do this. Take your money, marry the pure-blooded girl, or half-blooded or muggle. It doesn't matter. See the world or retreat to a remote island and have dozens of babies" he whispered heatedly, eyes pleading for assent. "You don't have to be here."
Draco stared right back. "No, you don't understand" he replied. "I can't just get up and leave. The money you're talking about is my father's. I can't just take it. And even if I could, I wouldn't" he said without looking away. "I wouldn't just leave my family. I will remain loyal to my father, even if he is rotting in prison."
"And does he expect you to show your loyalty by following him there?" Harry asked viciously.
"No, I think he'd prefer I didn't get caught" Draco replied coolly.
Harry sneered at this. "Yes, he'd prefer you didn't get caught while helping a mutant monster seize power." Harry sighed and studied Draco's features. "Why does your family bow to him?"
Draco backed a few steps and leaned tiredly against the wall. He dropped his wand hand to his side, leaving his face partly in the shadow. "Harry, Dumbledore is not going to win this war" Draco said seriously. "The Dark Lord, he's immortal. That means he's unstoppable. He will, like you said, seize power." Draco paused before he continued. "And when that day comes, the Malfoys will be on his good side. After that, we will be the most important family of them all."
Harry sighed again. "You are mistaken" he said gently. "After Voldemort's rise to power, there will only be Voldemort and his minions. Like it's always been. Voldemort won't have anyone gaining so much power that his dictatorship could ever be questioned." Harry came closer to Draco. "Your family may be in a prestigious position right now thanks to Voldemort, but I doubt it will last. After all resistance has been defeated, he won't need you or anybody else. Your family is in the same boat as the rest of us. You have nothing to gain, but everything to lose, if Voldemort makes it."
Draco said nothing. Harry could see from the blonde's face that he wasn't agreeing with him.
"So why are you here?" Draco asked, narrowing his eyes. "You, above everybody else, know the Dark Lord's terror. Why don't you take the famous Potter inheritance, that actually belongs to you I might add, and retreat to that remote island?"
Harry wasn't really surprised that Draco knew about his money. Draco always seemed to know these type of things. But he didn't obviously know about the prophecy. Harry weighed if he should tell Draco. There was the fact that Voldemort didn't know the entire prophecy, and telling it to Draco, a future Death Eater, had to be the stupidest thing he could ever think of. At the same time, Harry was telling Draco to take off while he could not and would not do it himself. Looking at Draco's expectant face, he decided to tell Draco a censored version. Voldemort already knew that he was the one threatening him.
"There is this prophecy" Harry stated. "It says that I have the power to defeat Voldemort."
Draco looked overwhelmed. "What?" he whispered.
"I don't know what it means actually" Harry said, thinking. "But it also says that we can't both live while the other one survives. So basically, him or me or possible the both of us will die before all this is over."
Harry couldn't really decipher the emotions showing in Draco's eyes.
"That's why Voldemort wanted to kill me when I was a baby" Harry concluded with a quiet voice. He could feel a pressure forming behind his eyes. "So retreating to an island wouldn't do me any good. Voldemort would just come after me like he always does."
Harry drew a shaky breath. He had never spoken about the prophecy to anyone, not since Dumbledore had told him. Saying it aloud was making it all the more real.
Draco slowly came closer and wrapped his arms around Harry's shoulders, pulling him closer. "I'm sorry, Harry" he whispered to Harry's black hair. Harry didn't say anything, he just rested his head on the slytherin's shoulder.
Draco kept petting Harry's hair, lost in thought. "I don't know what to do anymore" he finally admitted with a quiet voice. "It's all falling apart without my father. My mother... She's... I don't know what's wrong with her. It's like she has lost her grip on reality." Draco brushed his cheek against Harry's soft hair, talking out to the darkness. "She just sits there with a vacant expression in her eyes. She can't even take a walk without someone practically commanding her to do so."
Harry remembered Narcissa Malfoy from the Quidditch World Cup. She had not seemed pleasant, but it was hard to picture her not being able to take a walk alone. The Malfoy family wasn't what it had been back then.
"It's like she doesn't know how to do anything anymore, without him" Draco continued tiredly. "I don't even know how to manage the Malfoy Manor."
Harry pulled back a bit and looked at Draco. "Surely you don't have to do all that alone, do you?" he questioned.
"I can't let anyone know that my mother isn't the powerful Malfoy matriarch everyone believes her to be. There are people who'd take advantage of our distress. Besides, who am I going to ask for help?" Draco laughed like the mere idea of asking anyone's help was ludicrous.
"Couldn't you ask Snape?" Harry tried.
Draco gave Harry a sad smile, released him from his embrace and backed against the wall again. "Harry, Severus Snape is a Death Eater" he explained gently. "Plus, my father always said that there was something fishy about him."
Harry wouldn't give up. "But at least he's your Head of House. I'm sure no-one would have any objections about his involvement. Dumbledore on the other hand..." Harry trailed off, seeing Draco look at him funnily.
"He's on Dumbledore's side, isn't he?" Draco demanded.
Harry felt nervousness fill him. "Who?" he avoided.
"Professor Snape" Draco answered clearly. Harry didn't know what to say. "You didn't seem too surprised when I said he was a Death Eater" Draco said carefully, keeping an eye on Harry's reaction.
"I know most Death Eaters" Harry replied, but avoided Draco's gaze. "I have seen them in person or in my dreams."
"Yet you would propose I turn to him for assistance" Draco reminded him and shook his head. "It all makes sense now. Why Dumbledore lets him stay here, as a faculty member no less, so close to you. How could I have been so blind? How can Voldemort be so blind?"
Harry was desperate. "This is bad" Harry said, burying his head in his hands. "We have to go to Dumbledore. We have to tell him that you know. What have I done?"
"Relax, Harry" Draco said, surprisingly calm. "I'm not going to tell Voldemort anything. Not about professor Snape, or anything else you told me before."
Harry ran both his hands through his hair. "I didn't tell you anything important before!" he exclaimed.
Draco didn't say anything, but looked hurt.
Harry glanced at Draco. "No, I mean it was important to me, but not anything Voldemort would find interesting" Harry quickly rectified. "But this is bad" he said again, trying to think of a solution.
Draco was still a bit peeved when he said "I told you already, I won't tell Voldemort anything."
Harry looked at Draco straight in the eye. "You won't have a choice" he said bluntly. "Voldemort is a Legilimens. Or he could just go old school and torture you for the information."
Harry backed against the other wall and slid down, putting his head in his hands again. "Way to go Harry, you managed to endanger both Snape and Draco" he reprimanded himself harshly. "Just because you couldn't keep your mouth shut!"
Draco walked in front of Harry and squatted. "You haven't done anything" he tried to convince the gryffindor. "I guessed it on my own."
Harry tried to interject something, but Draco cut him off. "Secondly, Voldemort has no reason to assume I know anything. Especially now, with my father in prison, we have been more or less cast aside" Draco said a bit bitterly.
"We can't count on that" Harry said, lifting his gaze.
Draco was quietly studying Harry's hands, that were hanging loosely over the gryffindor's knees now. Then he reached his finger out and traced the outline of Harry's index finger with his own.
With a sigh, he met Harry's gaze. "Please don't go to Dumbledore with this, Harry" he said softly. "Please don't make me choose. Not yet."
Title of the chapter from The future by Leonard Cohen
To Charmina: Nej, jag kommer inte från Sverige. Men du har rätt, jag är en finne. Det är inte en hemlighet, men jag tycker att det är bättre att läsa fanfiction när man vet ingenting om författaren. I varje fall, det var inte så svårt att gissa efter Fucking Åmål och Tove Jansson. Jag tyckte också om Lilja 4-ever, men det var inte så lätt att titta på. Förlåt för alla mina skrivfel:)