UNDERSTANDING
Harry sat on his bed, in his room on Privet Drive, where he lived with his relatives, the Dursleys. His room was a mess with rolls of parchment, spell books, and clothes, not to mention white feathers from when his owl, Hedwig was moulting, and his cousin's old, broken toys. It was his third summer back here in this place everyone thought was his home. It wasn't though; he'd known that the first time he'd set foot in Hogwarts Castle. Hogwarts was where he truly belonged. He didn't fit in here, living with his Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and his cousin, Dudley. They hated him anyway.
He had been quite surprised this last year at school. He'd also had quite an adventure, and didn't really mind returning to the Dursleys this summer. He'd found that the man everyone in the wizarding world believed to have killed his parents, was actually innocent, and was in fact, his godfather. The man's name was Sirius Black. Harry had helped him escape the Dementors and he was now in hiding. Sirius had sent him a message on the train by way of a tiny owl that now belonged to his friend, Ron, as a replacement pet for the one that had escaped. As it turned out, Ron's 'pet' rat, Scabbers, was really the wizard responsible for the death of Harry's parents.
In the letter, Sirius had left a note for his Aunt and Uncle, which he gave them when they met him at King's Cross Station. It was because of that letter, that Harry was now allowed to study his schoolbooks, and was able to keep up with his homework that his teachers left him over the summer. Normally, the minute they arrived back at Number Four, Uncle Vernon would lock them away in his old room; the cupboard under the stairs.
Harry sighed and looked at the calendar, it was July 27th, and only four days until his birthday, and he would be on the train back to school. Back home, he thought. There was a tap at the window, and he rose to open it, allowing Hedwig to enter, a dinner of field mouse in her beak.
·
"Hiya, Harry," Ron said a few days later when they met at King's Cross Station, to catch the train to school.
"Hi, Ron," Harry replied, though he didn't feel too happy. He'd received a letter from Sirius the day before, and it weighed heavily on his mind. He had learned much about his father through letters from his godfather. Yet, one aspect of his life remained a mystery. He knew absolutely nothing about his mother's family. He had no hope of asking Aunt Petunia about it, the most she'd ever divulged was when she ranted on about how they got landed with him when his parents were killed, in front of Hagrid, when the man came to get him personally.
On the train, Harry pulled the letter out of his pocket and held it tightly as he gazed out the window. "Harry," Hermione's voice broke into his thoughts. "What is that?"
"Oh," he said as he looked at the letter. "I-it's nothing," he replied, then looked back to stare out the window. Ron and Hermione looked at each other uneasily, but knew better than to push Harry when he didn't want to talk.
The door opened suddenly, making Ron and Hermione jump, and they looked up to see the blond ferret, Draco Malfoy, and his thugs, Crabbe and Goyle. "Well, well, well," Draco drawled as Ron and Hermione glared at him. "What do we have here, The Golden Trio? I was wondering when we'd meet again."
Draco looked over and saw Harry was looking out the window, ignoring them, and he bristled. "What do you want, ferret?" Ron asked angrily. Draco turned to glare at him, and then returned his attention to Harry, his gaze falling on the piece of parchment clutched in his hand.
"What's this?" Draco sneered, ripped the parchment from Harry's grasp, and began to read it.
"Hey, give that back!" Harry yelled, and rose to his feet, but Draco merely pushed him back in his seat, and Harry glared up at him.
"Relax, Potter," Draco drawled and rolled his eyes. "You'll have your precious letter back."
"Malfoy!" Ron hissed, but the Slytherin ignored him, and carelessly tossed the letter back to Harry, who was still glaring at him, and turning, departed the compartment. No one saw the rather worried look in his eyes as he moved past Crabbe and Goyle, though his face remained expressionless. He swallowed hard, and vowed then and there, that as soon as the opportunity presented itself, he'd help Harry find what he was looking for.
"Oh, great," Harry said, and sighed in frustration as he folded the parchment, stuffing it back in his pocket. "That's all I need."
"Why?" Hermione asked curiously, that thoughtful look passing over her features. "What was it?"
Harry sighed and shook his head. "Nothing," he said softly and returned his gaze to the window. Hermione and Ron looked from Harry to each other in concern, but said nothing further.
Harry was surprised to find over the next month and a half, that Draco did not bother him or his friend very much. He was surprised also by the fact, that he would watch Harry in their classes with a rather pensive look on his face, but the moment Harry would turn to look at him, he would turn away swallowing nervously, but said nothing. At night, Harry would reread the letter he received from Sirius, while the others were asleep, sadness enveloping his heart. He couldn't help but wonder why the Slytherin had backed off, why he looked at him so oddly, and when the rat would indeed make his move.
·
Draco couldn't get the name out of his head, he knew he'd heard it somewhere before, he just couldn't remember where. He'd wracked his brain since he'd read the name, Lily Evans, in the letter Potter had held tightly on the train, the letter he'd ripped from the boy's hands and read. He knew he'd heard the name from his father, Lucius Malfoy. Lily was Potter's mother, and had been killed by Lord Voldemort, along with his father, James. Yet, he could not get the thought from his mind that he'd seen the name somewhere else.
Over the past months, he'd gone to the library every chance he could get, pouring over every book he could find that he believed might hold some answers. Yet, still, he'd found nothing. Crabbe and Goyle were at a loss, he knew his recent study habit were making them curious, as was the fact that he didn't torment the wonder boy much any more, nor his friends.
Draco sighed heavily as he closed the book he'd been perusing, and fell back in his chair as he ran his fingers through his hair, and chewed on his finger thoughtfully as he stretched his legs out in front of him. Where have I seen that name before? Draco wondered in angry frustration. I know I've seen it somewhere before.
The next day was Saturday, there was a trip to Hogsmead, the neighbouring village; Hogsmead was an entire Wizarding village. I'll go to the library there, Draco thought as he rose to his feet, and headed to the dormitory to go to bed. They have more books there; perhaps that's where I'll find Lily Evans.
The next day, Draco headed for the library in Hogsmead. "Crabbe, Goyle," he said as they walked down the street. "There's something I have to do, I'll meet you back at the Three Broomsticks later, say around one o'clock for lunch?"
"Want us to come along?" Goyle asked, rather concerned about the change in Malfoy.
"No," Draco said as he shook his head. "My father asked me to do something for him," he lied. "And it's bound to be boring. I'll probably get it done faster by myself."
"Alright," Goyle said, and he and Crabbe turned, leaving Draco alone. Draco waited a while, and then headed for the Hogsmead Library.
·
"What do you think the ferret is up to?" Ron asked as he, Harry and Hermione headed down to Honeydukes, the sweet shop in Hogsmead.
"I don't know," Hermione replied. "You have to admit though, it is a bit odd that he hasn't annoyed us since that day on the train."
Harry just walked in silence, nodding his head slowly. His hands shoved deep in the pockets of his coat, his hand clenched around Sirius' letter. He had read it on a daily basis, and though there were times when he laughed and joked with his friends, he had never shown it to them, or told them what it contained. He had tried to do what Sirius said, tried to find information about his mother's family, but she was muggle-born like Hermione for all he knew. It wasn't like there would be anyway of finding her in any books here, and Aunt Petunia hated her so much that she never even spoke of her until the night Hagrid had appeared. He also knew that he could never ask, he was forbidden to ask any questions under their roof.
"I still don't like it," Ron muttered under his breath. "He's up to something, I can tell. It all started when… Harry?"
Harry looked up, drawn from his reverie. "Yeah, Ron?" Harry asked, looking at the tall, red headed boy curiously.
"What was in that letter?" Ron asked. "You know, the one you had on the train?"
"Nothing," Harry replied, growing annoyed. Why can't they just leave it alone? Harry thought bitterly. It's my problem, not theirs. It's not like I can find out here anyway.
"Come on, Harry," Ron continued. "What ever it is, it can't be that bad."
"Ron's right, Harry," Hermione said softly. "We want to help. Obviously, there's something bothering you," she said as she put her hand on Harry's arm. "Why won't you let us help?"
Harry's annoyance grew as they continued to hound him, until it turned to anger that burned like fire. "Because it's my problem, alright?" Harry yelled, making them stop in surprise. He glared at them a moment, then stalked off through the streets.
·
Draco nodded to the librarian as he headed to the desk. "Can I help you?" the kindly, plump-faced witch asked, her eyes sparkling merrily.
"Uh," Draco said slowly, not used to anyone greeting him so warmly. "I'm not sure," he said slowly. "I'm looking for information on someone." He paused a moment and she looked at him expectantly. "Lily Evans?" he asked looking up at her uneasily.
"Evans, Evans," the witch mumbled to herself as she looked through a large book on her desk. "Hmm," she said after a moment. "No, I don't see anything here."
"Could you try looking under Potter?" Draco asked nervously. "I believe she is the mother of Harry Potter."
The witch eyed him a moment before nodding. "What are you looking for the information for?" The witch asked as she turned to scan her book.
"For a report for school," Draco lied. To his relief, the witch nodded and asked no further questions on the matter.
"Oh," she said finally, wrote down the names of several books on a scrap of parchment, and handed it to him. "Here you are. These can be found at the back of the library."
Draco nodded and thanked her, then headed off as he looked over the list. Most of it he could scratch, having looked at those particular titles at Hogwarts already, but he still had two that looked promising. The books the librarian had listed for him were located back by the family histories, and as he walked by them, one caught his eye. It was dirtier than the others, with a thicker layer of dust on it. He picked it up carefully, wiping the dust from it to see a red binding with silver letters, his eyes widening in surprise. There it was, Evans on the cover.
Slowly, he turned, walked to a nearby table, and sat down. Taking a deep breath, he reached out a shaky hand and began turning the pages. Half way through, he found it. Every page after it was blank. There, on the last page with information, was the name, Lily Evans. Draco sat back in his chair, exhaling heavily. After all this time, Harry Potter was a pure blood.
When he recovered, he took the book up to the librarian at the counter. "Can I help you?" the witch asked him.
Draco nodded and passed her the book. "I know that it is usually against the rules to take a family book from the library, but I was wondering if I could borrow this one for my report. I can assure you that it won't be missed; it was covered in dust when I found it, and it appears as though it hasn't been used in a while. I promise, I'll bring it back as soon as I'm finished."
The witch looked at him warily. "Young man, I do not believe that I can allow you to remove that book from the library whether or not it is used regularly."
Draco sighed and nodded. "I understand," he said softly. "It's just that this report is due on Monday, and I thought I had collected all the information on the Potters. I just thought I would check here to see if I could find something that was not available at Hogwarts. Since I was unsure there would be any thing else I could find that would be useful, I didn't bring my notes or anything with me. If I could be allowed to borrow it, I can return it by owl after I'm finish," Draco said, trying to sound convincing and hopeful.
The witch eyed him suspiciously for a moment, and then nodded with a sigh as he gave her a winning smile. "Alright," she said in defeat. She pulled out a parchment and wrote down the title and his name. "Off with you now," she said briskly. "And remember your promise." Draco smiled his thanks, and then departed in a rush, the book held tightly in his hand.
·
Two days later, Draco saw Harry in Potions class for the first time since their trip to the village. He had looked everywhere for the other boy after leaving the library in Hogsmead, knowing he was there, but hadn't found him. Carefully, he drew his wand from his bag, and waved it over the parchment in front of him, muttering under his breath. Then, slid his wand in his bag once more, and began to write a note to Harry. Anyone looking on, wouldn't be able to read what he was really writing, anyone that is, except Harry. Draco folded the parchment into a crane, and holding the origami bird on his palm, blew on it lightly, and it fluttered over to land on Harry's desk as the boy jumped in surprise. Draco watched as Harry picked it up warily and unfolded it, then he turned his attention back to his schoolwork.
Harry swallowed hard as the words on the note faded before his eyes, only to be replaced by others, and he read:
Harry,
Meet me in the library tonight. Midnight. I have something you may find of great value to you. Tell no one.
Draco
Harry looked up, and turned to see Draco watching him, his face betraying nothing, and he nodded slightly to the Slytherin boy.
·
That night, beneath his invisibility cloak, Harry quietly made his way to the library. He had hardly been able to keep his mind on his lessons the rest of the day, often wondering what Draco had found, and if Draco had been telling the truth, whether he would try and use it against him. Still, his curiosity won out, and he had slipped off into the night to meet him as requested.
"You said you had something for me?" Harry asked when he entered the library, to see Draco standing there, and the boy jumped and turned in surprise at the unexpected voice, but saw nothing.
"Potter?" Draco called out, his voice trembling slightly in fear.
"Put out your wand," Harry's voice sounded once more in the empty room, and Draco extinguished the light from his wand. Harry quickly removed his invisibility cloak, and stuffed it in his bag as he removed his wand and lit it. "You didn't answer my question," he said as he moved over to the startled boy.
"Y-yes," Draco stammered. "It's something you've been looking for," he said, and he slid his hand in his robes, and removed a red bound book with silver lettering. Then, laid it down on the table beside him and slowly stepped away. "I found this in Hogsmead," he said softly. "I went to find you afterward, but I couldn't. I knew you would want to see it. You can't keep it, it has to be returned, but since that day on the train, I knew this was what was bothering you."
Harry slowly stepped toward the table beside Draco, and reached out a trembling hand, running his fingers over the cool leather binding. "What do you want?" Harry asked quietly, his voice cracking as he tore his gaze from the book to look up at the Slytherin beside him, to see him look back with a curious expression. "In return, I mean," he said.
"Nothing," Draco said softly. "I have all I need from it as well," he said as he nodded toward the book. "Don't think this means I like you anymore than I did," Draco said, an icy quality returning to his voice. "I just thought it was something you needed to know."
Harry looked at the book and began turning the pages. The gravity of what he was seeing finally hit him, and understanding came at last. He could only guess, but if his guess was correct, his aunt hated his mother so much, all for one reason…. His Aunt Petunia was a Squib, the only one in their recent family history without magical powers. Harry looked up slowly to the boy beside him, tears threatening to fall from his emerald eyes. "Thank you," he whispered softly as he closed the book and handed it to Draco.
"You're welcome," Draco said with a smile, and squeezed Harry's shoulder reassuringly, before he turned an left the library, not looking back.