Title: A Torturous Reminder
Chapter 5: Appearance vs. Reality
Rating: M
Warnings: H/D SLASH, HBP SPOILERS
DISCLAIMER: We do not own Harry Potter! Characters (except those created by us) belong to the amazingly talented J.K. Rowling, WB, and the publishing companies. Don't sue us! We are just bored teenagers having a go at poor Harry and Draco!
Harry froze. 'What was Malfoy doing here?' he thought frantically.
Alex, noticing that Harry had stopped kissing him, turned a questioning glace upon him but instead was met with Harry's stare that was focused on something else behind him. He slowly turned around, and there, standing with a cold fury in his eyes, was Malfoy.
Harry pushed Alex off of him and rapidly began buttoning up the shirt that Alex had begun to unbutton.
"Exhibitionists, aren't we?" drawled Draco, staring intently at Harry.
"If I recall correctly, you're the one with the exhibitionist tendencies, Malfoy," Alex said, angry that his moment had been interrupted.
"Bloom, why don't you do me a favor and just leave, I need to talk with Potter. Office matters you see…oh wait, no you can't, you're not part of this," said Draco, sneering at Alex.
"Harry, I'll drop by your apartment later," Alex said, turning away from Draco and slowly and sensually kissing Harry. When he finished, he turned to give Draco a triumphant stare and strode inside his apartment.
"What do you need me for?" Harry asked, turning back to Draco, embarrassed at being caught in this type of situation.
"Potter, lets go to your apartment, we need to talk," Draco said idly.
Draco followed Harry inside and sat on the couch, sneering at Harry's mess. "Don't you ever clean this place?" he asked, eyeing the empty pizza boxes and the soda cans that were littered all over the place.
"No, and? What's it to you?" said Harry, taking a seat opposite of Draco, "So, tell me…?"
"You know what; I don't feel like telling you anymore," said Draco, getting up from the couch. "Just come by my office tomorrow morning."
"If you're not going to tell me, then why the fuck did you come here?" Harry asked, annoyed and angry. First of all, he had made him feel guilty and shameful about the kiss he had just been sharing with Alex, and now he was refusing to share the information with him!
"Oh, I came to see your pretty face," said Draco mockingly before walking towards the door.
Harry, though, stood up and made his way in front of Draco.
"Don't play with me Malfoy. You and I are in this together," said Harry, grabbing a tight hold of Draco's shirt in the process.
Draco took Harry's hand and forcibly detached it from his shirt. "Oh, I don't think I'm the one playing someone here. Think about it, Potter. Remember your last mistake," snapped Draco, turning and opening the door.
"Oh, and Potter, don't be late. I don't tolerate tardiness," he said loudly, slamming the door behind him.
"What the hell is his problem!" yelled Harry, staring moodily at the door Malfoy had just closed.
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Alex came in earlier than usual, and stood over Harry on his bed, watching Harry intently as he slowly stirred and opened his eyes.
"What the…" said Harry, reaching for his glasses when Alex suddenly stooped down and planted his lips on Harry's.
"Uh, Alex…" said Harry, pushing Alex away just as their lips met. "What are you doing here?"
"Just came to wake you up. I know how you sleep in," Alex said, letting Harry get up from his bed and trying to hide his disappointment.
"Um… thank you," said Harry, getting clean clothes from his drawers and heading towards the shower with Alex close behind.
"Umm… I'd rather take my shower alone," said Harry, closing the door in Alex's grumbling face.
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"About time," Draco said as Harry and Alex walked up to his office, "and actually right on time. Come on in, Potter," he said, pulling Harry in and leaving Alex outside.
"Here," said Draco, picking up a piece of paper and handing it to Harry.
"What's this?" asked Harry puzzled.
"The code decoded. We're going to have to go at midnight today, possibly before, to this place. Apparently these codes contain the meeting places and times."
Harry looked down at the paper.
"What does this mean?" asked Harry, confused, looking over the paper and the symbols on it.
"It's Celtic," said Draco, sitting down on his desk and staring intently at Harry.
"So… what exactly does it say then!" asked Harry, beginning to get annoyed.
"Calm down," said Draco, smirking as he looked over at Harry. He got up and went to the front of his desk, grabbed a paper and handed it over to Harry.
Near the very blue, the eternal bliss…
Possessions forgotten, or so you might wish,
Glittering and victorious in name,
Caution for it might turn a game.
Gather before the night ends
And time mends.
"So…" said Harry, still a bit clueless and wishing Hermione was there with him.
"So, we've got the next meeting place and time for their next meeting, Potter," said Draco tiredly. "Can you seriously not see it?" he asked.
"Oh," Harry said, "it's a riddle."
"Very good, Potter," Draco said sarcastically, leaning on his desk in front of Harry, arms crossed.
"So are we going to go?" asked Harry.
"Of course we are. If we don't, it's pretty much pointless that I've decoded it. Sometimes I wonder how you survived through all these years," Draco said. "Be sure to be ready tonight, we'll leave at 11:30 to get there early."
"Do you know where this place is then?" Harry asked, looking up from the paper and meeting Draco's intense gaze.
"Of course I do," said Draco, glancing back up to Harry's eyes without a hint of embarrassment.
"So, today at 11:30 then, outside my apartment to go…?" asked Harry, beginning to feel uncomfortable.
"Yes, Potter. We're going to Goldwin Parking lot, near the river. Be punctual, like today," said Draco, getting up and stretching out.
Harry not knowing what to say or how to part, merely nodded and mumbled a "see you later Malfoy," before opening the door.
"Alex?" Harry said. As soon as the door had opened, Alex had appeared, blocking the doorway and standing right in front of Harry.
Alex stood there, casting an irritated glace at Malfoy and a completely different one at Harry.
"I decided to wait until you were done. I was sure it wasn't going to take that long," said Alex.
"Err…well," said Harry, casting a sideways glance at Draco who had stiffened and attained his usual marble coldness at the sight of Alex.
Before Harry could utter a word, though, Alex was leaning towards him with the intention of kissing Harry.
Harry turned his head sideways, causing Alex to miss his intended destination.
"Not now, Alex" mumbled Harry, casting a glance towards Draco.
Alex felt like he had been slapped in the face and turned to Draco, wanting to unleash his anger that had been brought by Harry not responding to his kiss.
"What are you still doing here?" Alex said nastily at Draco.
"I can be wherever I want, Bloom. Besides, technically, I'm your boss, so don't question me," replied Draco coldly.
"Well, technically, I don't need to follow your orders. No boss of mine will ever be a former death eater. I know there's a law out there about not fraternizing with convicts, and why they would hire you in the first place, with your background, is beyond me," said Alex, looking at Draco with hatred in his eyes.
Draco snapped and took two long strides towards Alex. He grabbed Alex by the collar and roughly pushed him up against the wall.
"Don't you ever call me a death eater, Bloom, got that?" said Draco, his eyes now a cold gray. "If you ever utter such a thing again, I'll make it my personal goal to find you and act the way a death eater would really act towards their enemy," whispered Draco into Alex's ear.
Alex visibly gulped, but continued to glare at Draco. "Caution, Malfoy, something just might happen to you."
"We'll see about that, Bloom," Draco said, letting go of Alex.
Harry watched the ongoing argument silently, not wanting to get intermixed and wondering when this rivalry and hatred had begun.
"Come on Alex, let's go," said Harry tiredly before Alex could answer back to Draco's comment.
Alex continued to glare at Draco until Harry pulled Alex towards him.
"Alex, I said, let's go!" Harry said, turning around and walking away from Draco's office.
Alex gave Draco a last glare and took off after Harry, fuming with anger.
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A few hours later, Harry and Alex found themselves in Harry's apartment watching T.V.
Alex sat beside Harry, his head resting on Harry's lap. He was still seething, thanks to a particular blonde-headed idiot, and Harry noticing his anger, spoke up.
"Alex, what's wrong?" asked Harry, looking down at Alex.
Alex took his head off from Harry's lap and stood up, pacing the living room.
"It's Malfoy! How I hate that bastard!" Alex exclaimed, his eyebrows furrowing.
"Why do you hate him so much?"
Alex stopped pacing and stared directly at Harry. He hesitated before speaking. "Malfoy and I went out for a short while," he said coldly.
Harry's mouth dropped open. Malfoy and Alex! That seemed impossible to Harry's mind. He couldn't even speak to ask Alex what he meant exactly and how such a thing had happened.
"I bet you're wondering why?" Alex said, beginning to pace the room again and gathering his thoughts.
Harry just nodded, his eyes betraying his shock.
"Well, we were two good looking guys that barely knew each other and stuck in a very convenient situation. Malfoy had just arrived here, and I took notice of him."
"And… so… what went wrong?" asked Harry, finally speaking.
"That bastard dumped me! We were only together for three weeks and he dumps me for no apparent reason and gets a fuck buddy right afterwards, too! What was I then? I don't consider myself just a plaything, and Malfoy must know that." Alex took a deep breath and sat down next to Harry opposite Harry. "Malfoy can't be trusted. He's an asshole that only wants things for himself and doesn't care how he gets it."
Alex stood up once again and started walking towards the door.
"Wait, Alex… so why did you call Draco an exhibitionist?" asked Harry, right afterwards regretting his question. How did that come up! Something was seriously wrong with him…
"Harry," Alex said, turning to him before going out the door, "don't you ever get into a situation with a guy like Malfoy… I have to go, I'll see you around," concluded Alex, leaving Harry alone in his apartment.
Harry's head was spinning with the information he had just found out. He couldn't comprehend it. He knew Malfoy was a bastard but what Alex told him completely changed the Malfoy he knew into an even crueler, not to mention lustier, character.
He turned to the clock and noticed it was 11:00. Malfoy would soon arrive to pick him up, and Harry was ready to give him a piece of his mind.
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Draco pulled up to find Harry waiting for him outside the building.
"Glad you're on time," said Draco, as Harry got in. He was met by silence, and Harry wouldn't even look at him.
Draco turned several times to look at Harry while Harry tried to ignore him.
'This was not the way I had planned it,' thought Harry, too angry to bring up the situation.
"What's wrong?" asked Draco, not knowing what else to ask and wondering why Harry was acting the way he was.
"You," stated Harry, his voice filled with anger and a tinge of something else that Draco hadn't expected.
"Me!" asked Draco confused. "What's wrong with me!"
Harry remained silent, his own thoughts exploding through his head.
"Fine, don't tell me then," said Draco, annoyed. "It's not going to help solve the problem, though."
"You're the problem!" Harry yelled, not able to keep it in any longer. "You go around acting all pissed off whenever you see me and Alex together when you probably did worse things in public! I only kiss Alex and you act like we're doing some great act of immorality!"
Draco's grasp tightened on the wheel and the speed seemed to rise. "So Bloom told you?" he said in tight voice.
"Yes, Alex told me! I'm glad somebody did," said Harry, turning around to look out the window.
"Well then, what exactly did he tell you?" asked Draco, his voice cold.
"Everything!" Harry exclaimed, "How you guys met and went out for about a month, your 'intimate moments'!"
"Our intimate moments?" Draco asked. "Is this what it's all about?"
"No!" Harry said, annoyed that he was blushing now. "It's about how you went around with Alex and acted on impulse in public! You two probably did worse things than Alex and I did in the hallway! Which I'm sure is the reason why Alex called you an exhibitionist!"
"So what," Draco said, "I acted on impulse."
"You also left Alex after being with him for a short while, for no apparent reason, and a few days later you were with another guy acting on impulse in public again and doing worse things out of public," Harry said, beginning to yell.
"So you only got Alex's part of the story then," Draco said darkly, "just like him."
"I don't care. All I know is that you're an asshole," Harry said moodily, though curious about what Draco meant.
"Alex didn't tell you I found him with someone else, did he? What did he expect me to do? Rejoice at the sight of a naked Bloom on top of a naked Perkins!" Draco said sarcastically.
"Perkins?" Harry asked, puzzled.
"Yes, Perkins. The blonde that Bloom was with back in the bar in which you got drunk. It seems Perkins was there to fulfill Bloom's sudden urges and needs," Draco said, calmer but with a dead tone.
"Oh," said Harry.
"Yes, and I suggest, Potter, that you do your research and find out everything before you go making accusations."
A silence hung over them until Harry spoke up once more.
"Then why do you hate him so much? Did he really hurt you?" asked Harry, his voice calmer.
"I don't need your sympathy, Potter. And Fuck no! I'd kiss you if Bloom had actually hurt me! Bloom didn't do a thing to me except get me annoyed for bothering to waste my time with him. Our relationship, if you can even call it that, was mainly physical and full of lust. Once that incident occurred, Bloom apologized and I forgave him, but I began to see the real Bloom and saw how big of a mistake he had been. Then I broke up with him, so he wasn't entirely lying. As for the hate, I don't hate him. I just act like a bastard because he acts the same with me," Draco said, pulling up to the parking lot.
"We'll separate. I'll take the top floor, you take the bottom. I don't think we'll find any death eaters, but we may find some clues. We're lucky its only two stories," Draco said indifferently, not looking at Harry as he got out of the car.
"Okay," Harry said, but Draco was already walking away and heading towards the elevator that would take him to the second floor.
Harry looked around his surroundings. The place was desolate and practically falling apart. A few cars were here and there, parked, although most looked like they had been abandoned.
He was very confused with the information he had just received. Was Malfoy lying or was Alex lying? He had grown to trust Alex but Malfoy? Did he trust him? Honestly, he didn't know, but something inside him was screaming at him to trust Malfoy, for some odd reason, and Malfoy's story did seem valid, especially since Alex had seen Perkins recently. Only time would tell what would happen.
"So what exactly am I looking for?" he said out loud, but all he got in response was his voice echoing through the darkness. He looked around hoping he would find something that would stand out, but he had no such luck. With a deep sigh, he set out to look for a clue in any place possible.
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Draco couldn't believe Harry knew about his "fling" with Alex, but in a way, it was better for him to know now. Alex was the asshole, not him… Okay, so he was an asshole sometimes, but not when it came to the situation that happened with Alex. 'Damn that Gryffindor, always heading head first into things without knowing all the facts' he cursed to himself as he started his scavenger hunt.
He didn't really hate anyone, not even Potter or Bloom. The hatred was reserved for his father. His father had tried to manipulate him and toss him around like some rag doll, but he had outsmarted Lucius, something that his father would never forget.
He disliked Bloom a lot, and that was it, but he did have a strange feeling regarding Bloom. It was like he knew that Bloom couldn't be trusted.
He continued searching for about 30 minutes with no luck. Wondering what Harry was up to, he made his way down to the elevator and into the bottom floor.
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Harry was growing tired of looking around. He gave a quick glance to the area near a trash can and something caught his eye.
He moved slowly towards it, and noticed a gleaming pebble. Its beauty was exquisite. Unable to resist the urge of touching it, he picked it up.
Pain immediately exploded from his hand, and with a yelp, he tried to throw it off, but it remained stuck to the palm of his hand. Soon he started feeling a burning sensation, a sensation that grew stronger as the seconds went by.
Sweat started pouring from his face, he couldn't breathe. He blindly grasped the wall with his other hand, and just as he touched the wall, his knees gave away and he fell to the floor.
He held his right hand in front of him and watched his skin turn a bright red color, and then with a look of horror, he realized his hand was burning from the inside out… he could just feel it.
His breath turned shallow, and he whimpered as the world seemed to waver in front of his eyes. He couldn't move, he couldn't scream, the pain was unbearable. He had to let Malfoy know what was happening to him… maybe he could help him…. he couldn't…
His skin was slowly turning a blackish color; flesh was starting to peel off his hand, but he didn't care anymore, it was too much.
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Draco stepped out of the elevator to find an empty parking lot, Potter out of sight. He began to look around when he heard a yelp go out from his right.
"Potter?" he said, taking out his wand and walking towards the noise. "Is that you, Potter?"
He soon heard a thump, and a strange smell seemed to fill the room, a smell of something burning… of burning flesh.
Draco's grasp tightened on his wand as he turned a corner, only to find a fallen Harry on his knees, both hands outstretched before him.
His breath caught in his throat, and he ran over to him. He gently placed his hands below Harry's chin, not wanting to cause him anymore pain, and directed Harry's gaze towards him.
"What did you do, Potter?" he asked frantically, searching for some clue that would indicate what had happened.
Harry only looked at him through glazed eyes, too focused on the pain to notice anything around him. His bright green, emerald eyes shone no more.
Draco turned his gaze to Harry's right hand, and was shocked to see that it was swollen and red, with pieces of black flesh barely clinging on. He tentatively stretched his hand to touch it and found it burning hot, too hot to touch. He noticed, though, that Harry's fingers were clutching something.
"Open your hand, Potter. Whatever you're holding it's the cause of this pain," he told Harry, hoping the words would get through to Harry.
Harry did not look up at him and Draco was getting ready to risk his own hands when slowly, Harry began opening up his hand. Harry let out a short scream that was cut when he clamped his mouth shut. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, trying to follow Malfoy's instructions and trying to bear the pain. Too great to bear, Harry gave Draco a look full of pain that Draco wouldn't soon forget, before passing out. His fingers, though, were now outstretched and revealing the cause of the pain.
Draco turned and found the stone on Harry's hand and his eyes went wide with shock. "Shit," he muttered, beginning to panic. "Ennervate"he mumbled, his wand pointed towards Harry, but to no avail. Harry did not wake up, he didn't even budge. He was completely unconscious and if Draco didn't act quickly, he could die from the stone.
Draco tried to remember the name of the stone; he found it oddly familiar to him. 'Inferno Lapillus' he thought with satisfaction, remembering the name. He looked back down at Harry and gathered him into his arms. He apparated back to his apartment, leaving Harry on his bed before heading quickly towards his library.
He began flinging book everywhere until he finally found the book he was looking for. He took down a book named The Darkness Explained and leafed quickly though the pages, stopping when he noticed a picture of bright red stone, and looked at the explanation.
Inferno Lapillus has been in used since ancient times as a weapon for enemies. This stone is not available for use anymore, although it has been said some still have access to it. When touched, the stone will emit powerful energy, slowly burning the one that touched it and working up from the place of contact to the whole body after about 15 minutes. Extreme pain follows after the touch (the stone cannot be thrown off, it is literally stuck to the palm of the holder), and surviving after touching one is very slim. If the person that touched the inferno lapillus is found within the first 15 minutes of touching it, a spell can be used to stop and even heal the effects of the stone. The spell is "Inferno Finite" and it is said when the wand is pointed towards the affected hand. Once touched, the stone cannot go back to its original properties; rather it only becomes a common pebble.
Draco closed the book and threw it to his desk. He ran back to his room and picked up his wand, pointing it at Harry's hand.
"Inferno Finite," he said and dropped his wand, reaching and taking the stone from Harry's hand, not taking the time to make sure if the spell had worked or not.
He picked it up and, luckily for him, the spell had worked and the stone was now cool and useless. He placed it aside and turned back to Harry, picking up his right hand and noticing that the redness was reducing and that the hand no longer had any black areas. The spell's healing effect had already begun to work.
He placed Harry's hand besides him again, removed Harry's glasses, and tucked him in.
Draco walked towards the door, but not before looking back at Harry.
"You had me scared there, Potter," he whispered to an unknowing as he turned off the lights.
A/N: Well…there you go! We hope you all like this chapter, and see where we are going with this fic. Please REVIEW, we BEG you! Thanks to those that have reviewed already, it's greatly appreciated!