A/N: Here we go again! My Muse is still beating me up, so here's another
chapter for you all. I bet longer than the past two, it's thirteen pages.
Here's hoping the Muse is here to stay! ~Sylvia
"All right, Harry. Let's start over again." Adam said, eyeing Draco as though Draco was a bug that he really wanted to crush. "How did you first come to be with You Know Who?" Harry and Draco exchanged smirks. The man was too frightened of a wizard to even say his name.
"You really want to know?" Harry asked. Adam smiled and nodded. "Okay. It all started when I was one year old." Draco snickered next to Harry, but Adam motioned for Harry to continue. At least the kid was talking. Perhaps he would be able to get some of the truth out of him. "Voldemort," the shrink actually flinched, "attacked and killed my parents." Harry said, handing the Gameboy to Draco. "Amuse yourself." He said to the teenager. Draco stared at it in confusion for a few minutes before Harry started a game for him. "Professor Dumbledore, whom is my emergency guardian when there is no one else, placed me with my Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. The married couple did everything that married couples usually do." Harry stopped and looked at Adam. "You do understand what I mean by that, right?" Adam looked up from his notes.
"Of course." He said, motioning Harry to continue. Harry nodded and started again.
"Well, that resulted in my cousin Dudley. Make sure you have the pleasure of never meeting him. He will just fool you into believing that he is a perfect angel. In reality, he's more like the git beside me." Draco looked up, glare on his face.
"Bloody Gryffindor!" Draco taunted.
"Slimy Slytherin!" Harry returned. "Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. I got my first Hogwarts letter just about a week before my eleventh birthday. To speed up time, I made it to Hogwarts, survived the whole year, and faced Voldemort" here Adam shuddered again, "who had been existing on the back of Professor Quirrel's head. Pretty gruesome really. I won, by the way." Adam nodded and continued making notes. "Second year, after an incident with a flying car, I faced a younger Voldemort in the Chamber of Secrets. He had a Basilisk too. Scary stuff really, but after the thing was blinded he was much easier to face." Adam nodded, saying he was with Harry in his story.
"Why did you get to see the Chamber of Secrets and I didn't?" Draco asked. Harry shrugged.
"I was the one with the sword?" He said, not entirely sure. "Believe me, had you wanted to go there instead of me, I would have let you." Draco smiled before going back to his game. "Okay, third year, there was a convicted murderer after me." He said, going back to his litany. "Except he was innocent and Peter Pettigrew is alive somewhere, just a matter of finding him, the little rat." Draco snorted. Harry had told him about his adventures with Sirius Black, and he had found Harry's wording appropriate. "Faced a werewolf, who was the best DADA teacher I've ever had, and fought some Dementors with my Patronus." Harry paused again. Adam was staring at him. "What?"
"You can conjure a real patronus?" He gasped. Harry smiled and nodded.
"Yes, I can. Professor Lupin, er, he wants me to call him Remus now, taught me how in my third year." Harry answered. "The Dementors had a really funny effect on me. Three times as worse as a normal wizard, I am told. So I wanted a way to fight them off." Harry shrugged. "Remus taught me." Adam swallowed and nodded, writing down some notes. Draco looked at Harry, who shrugged and turned back to Adam.
"Uh, go on, Harry." Adam said, shuffling his sheets of parchment.
"Well, Sirius escaped, he was my godfather, you know that, right?" Adam shook his head and wrote something down. "Well, my godfather escaped from having the Dementor's kiss and I ended up having to go back to the Dursley's. Fourth year was the whole Tri-wizard tournament. Don't think I'll ever get over that. Way too much stress. Anyway, everything was okay until the Third Task when Cedric and I..." Harry trailed off. Draco looked up. He had been there when Harry had returned with the body, a cut on his arm, and looking completely shell-shocked. Adam looked up at the silence.
"It wasn't your fault, Harry." Draco said quietly. Harry folded his arms and nodded. He knew that, but it still hurt to think about.
"Anyway, Voldemort" another shudder, "came back through some spell that he needed my blood for." Harry paused. "Cedric died." He said shortly. He took a deep breath. "Fifth year, a lot of stuff happened, my godfather died, and I ended up back at the Dursleys after helping to fight Voldemort with Professor Dumbledore. Professor Dumbledore did most of the work though." He said. "The Dursley's ignored me like always until my cousin started using me as a punching bag. Literally." Harry told the man. "Tom got me out, helped me heal, and taught me a lot of stuff. I think I'm done talking for a while." He said, putting his head down on the table. Adam finished writing up some notes and nodded.
"Okay, I'll be back in a little while." Adam told him. Harry nodded. Draco waited until the man left the room.
"There was nothing you could have done, mate." Draco said quietly. Inside the Head Auror's office, the man was watching the boys with his eyes wide. The stories were the same, just as he had said year after year. Potter's stories never changed.
"I know, Draco. I just feel like there was something I could have done. Something I should have done." Harry said, getting up from the chair and pacing the small space. "I am the Bloody Boy Who Lived, after all. Let's have a child kill the most evil wizard since Grindelwald." He said, anger making his voice thick. Draco knew that Harry had had it with the wizarding world in that statement. The Head Auror looked up as Adam came into the room. He gestured towards the wall.
"Harry, I know that I'm not much help, but you are more than just the Boy Who Lived." Draco said. "The wizarding world has done that to you, making you some kind of symbol. Don't try to live up to it." Harry snorted.
"Wanna switch places?" Harry asked. "Then you can have everyone staring at your scar, asking to see it, or just plain staring. Take your pick." Harry said, throwing himself back in his chair.
"Um, no. I like my forehead scarless. Besides, I don't think you want to deal with my father. He's been pretty mean lately." Harry looked up.
"Does it hurt bad?" He asked.
"There you go again. You've got a hero complex. You're trying to save me." Harry laughed at Draco's sentence.
"Gryffindor to the core." Harry answered. "So, does it?" Draco sighed.
"Not much." Draco lied. He knew Harry would try to get him to tell him.
"Liar. I'm connected too, remember?" Harry said, passing a hand over his scar. "If mine is any indication, yours should be worse." Draco grinned at his friend.
"There's that hero complex again. You should really do something about that." Draco answered.
"I was, until Aurors attacked my guardians." Harry answered. "Tom let me be a kid. He even let me play football." Draco raised an eyebrow.
"What's that?" He asked.
"Um, kind of like Quidditch. Except you play it with one ball, no brooms, it's all on the ground, and you can touch the ball with any part of your body except your hands. It's wicked."
"Muggle game then." Draco answered. Harry nodded. "Not worth my time." Draco told him. He was trying to make Harry forget about his guilty feelings.
"Hey! It's a good game. You have to know how to run. You do know how to run, don't you?" Harry paused. "Oh, yeah! You can run, I saw you do it from Voldemort first year. You can scream as well." Draco scowled.
"You'd better be nice to me. I have your next dose, which you should be needing in another three hours or so." Harry's eyes narrowed.
"Don't even tease like that." Harry said. Draco shrugged.
"Don't worry. You'll get it." Draco turned off the Gameboy. "I don't know about you, but I'm really hungry. You?" Harry shrugged. Draco knew that meant yes. "Okay." Severus had told him that Harry still wasn't up to eating a whole lot of food at once. He went over and knocked on the door. The guard opened it. "Hi. We're two teenage boys. We're normal you know." The guard looked at him. "We're hungry." The guard nodded.
"Just a second." He shut the door and went off down the hallway.
"Well, looks like we're going to get fed, at the very least." Harry smiled.
"I'm going to start calling you Ron." Draco snorted.
"You wouldn't dare." He said.
"You two would really like each other. If you could get past the whole rivalry thing." Draco looked surprised.
"Yeah, sure. Like he'd accept me." Harry nodded.
"He might. It'll take him a while to come around, but it will." The guard opened the door again.
"I've got permission to take you two down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. There aren't many people there this time of day." He said. Draco and Harry followed him into the hallway and down towards the cafeteria.
"Wonder what the food's going to be like?" Draco mumbled. Harry snorted, causing the guard to turn around to check on the boys. Both smiled and shrugged. He shook his head and turned down the hallway. They both followed and made faces behind the guard's back. They both knew it was immature, but they were trying to have fun. It was kind of hard to do that in the kind of setting that they had now.
"Wonder where Professor Dumbledore is?" Harry asked. "He's been gone for a while." Draco nodded and shrugged. He hadn't seen either of the professors after they had left. Harry suddenly stopped him. Draco looked over and noticed that Harry seemed out of breath.
"Harry?" Draco asked quietly. He knew that it wasn't time for another dose. It was too soon. "You okay?" He said quietly.
"Dementors." Harry whispered. "Here. Coming this way." Draco pulled out his wand and motioned for Harry to do the same.
"What is wrong with you two?" The guard asked, coming back. "I thought you were hungry?" The guard suddenly turned pale as two dementors were brought down the hallway. Draco lost what little color he had in his face.
"They're allied with him." Draco said, touching his arm. Harry saw the gesture and knew what he meant. "They'll be after you, too. He's become obsessed with Michael Riddle. They'll know it's you." Harry took a deep breath and threw out any unpleasant memories. He found a really happy memory, the day when Matthew had given Harry the charmed necklace that meant "cherished one". He pointed his wand as the dementors caught sight of him.
"Expectro Patronum!" He shouted, causing the guard to move forward with his own wand. The man finally figured out that the dementors were coming after the boys. Beside him, Draco pointed his own wand and said the same spell. A panther joined Harry's stag as they drove off the dementors. Screams from the creatures told of the patronus's success. Harry's stag came back to him and nuzzled him before fading. Draco's panther just stood there, looking over the boy before disappearing. Harry sank to the ground and took a deep breath.
"You both okay?" The guard asked. Harry nodded, just a little shakily, and waved the man away. Draco reassured the guard that he was fine, but some chocolate would help Harry. The man told them to stay where they were and he would be back in just a minute. Draco sank down next to Harry and looked at him. He was pale and sweaty.
"That took a lot out of you." It was a statement, not a question. Harry nodded. "Don't worry, I won't tell Tom." Harry smiled at Draco.
"Thanks." Harry said. "He'd ground me and take away my Gameboy." Adam came running up at that time.
"I heard what happened." He said. He pulled out two chocolate bars and handed one to each boy. Draco unwrapped Harry's before handing it to him. He doubted Harry's hands were steady enough to do so himself. "Any idea why the Dementors came after you like that?" Harry shrugged. Even if he told him, they wouldn't believe him. "Uh-huh." He pulled Draco to his feet and reached out a hand to help Harry. Harry glared at the man and accepted Draco's hand up. Draco put one of Harry's arms around his shoulders and helped Harry back to the interrogation room that Harry called home for the past day. Adam stayed with them the whole time and finally sent a guard for two meals for the boys. They both ate, dinner conversation non-existent due to Adam still being in the room. Draco pulled out a pack of Exploding Snap cards and got Harry interested in a game.
The time for Harry's dose came and went. Draco noticed his hands growing worse, shaking with more intensity. Harry's forehead beaded over with sweat and his eyes turned glassy. Draco checked his watch. It was well over three hours since Harry was supposed to have his last dose. Draco marveled at the will power for a minute before turning towards Adam, who was occupied with his notes. "Could you find Professor Snape for me, please?" He asked. Adam shrugged and went to the door. Draco pulled out the vial and uncorked it, watching as Adam talked to the guard at the door. He caught Harry's attention and Harry opened his mouth. Draco poured the vial down Harry's throat at the same time that Adam turned back around. Harry swallowed quickly and nodded to Draco.
"What was that?" Adam demanded, reaching for the vial. Draco looked up with his face completely void.
"What was what?" He asked, all innocence. Harry doubted Adam would buy it, and indeed the man didn't.
"The liquid you just gave him." Adam said. The door opened a minute later and the Head Auror came in.
"The vial, please." He said, holding his hand out for it. Draco glanced at Harry. Harry smiled a bit and pinched two fingers together. The vial shattered and fell from Draco's hand.
"Oops." Draco said, wiping his hand off on his robes. "It just shattered." The door opened and Snape came in. "Hi, Severus." Severus nodded to Draco and looked Harry over.
"Heard you had a run-in with a Dementor." He said, taking in Harry's appearance. Snape looked to Draco, who nodded slightly. Harry was surprised. These two already had some secret communication worked out. "Are you all right?" Harry nodded.
"I am now. Just a little worn out." He answered truthfully. Severus would have threatened it out of him anyway. Adam was demanding that Snape leave. Severus only raised an eyebrow at him before turning back to Harry. "How's Tom?" Harry asked.
"Out of his mind with worry about you." He answered. Harry would have dragged the truth out anyway. "Heard about your little Patronus earlier and went frantic about you not having any chocolate on you." Harry smiled. "Now that I know you're fine, I'm sure he'll be a little less frightened. He does ask, however, that you refrain from spells that aren't really necessary." Harry looked up. Dementors had been coming at him, hoods lowered. What had Tom expected?
"Pardon me, Professor, but Draco and I were the only ones driving those crazy things off." Severus turned and stared at the Head Auror.
"Are you telling me that two teenaged boys had to defend themselves against a dementor because no one on your staff was able to do so?" Severus said, advancing on the man. Draco grinned and sat back to watch the show.
The Head Auror argued with Severus for several minutes before being satisfied. Severus turned back to Draco and fussed with Draco's robes. "Make yourself halfway decent, boy." Draco smiled and nodded, smoothing his robes. Severus put a hand on either shoulder, four fingers resting on each. Draco nodded and waved to Severus as the man left.
"What was that all about?" Harry asked as Adam and the Head Auror left the room.
"He gave me your next dose and told me you would need it in eight hours." Harry smiled.
"All without a word, too." Harry said, amazed. Draco nodded and started another snap game. Both boys jumped when the door opened again.
"Give me the dose." The Head Auror demanded. Draco raised an eyebrow.
"What's that?" He asked.
"Whatever you have that your teacher gave you." He said. Harry realized that they had been watched the whole time. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Actually, it's some medication that I need that is kind of private. Draco holds onto an extra dose for me, just in case I need it." Harry answered. "Leave him alone. Standard pain-killing potion." Harry turned his back to the Auror. Draco took the next card and threw it to the pile.
"Your turn." He said. Draco and Harry continued to ignore the Auror standing next to them. When he threatened to take it by force, Draco raised an eyebrow.
"Technically, neither of us are under arrest, and you have no real grounds on which to arrest us. I'm here by free choice, and Harry's here for questioning. You can neither request nor deny any medications Harry needs, and if you try it, my personal lawyer will be here so fast that you'd think someone used an Unforgivable on you." Draco said, dismissing the man for the time being. "I hope Professor Dumbledore is ready to leave soon." He mumbled, causing Harry to grin. He wanted to leave, but not without ensuring Tom and Matthew's safety.
Adam came and went, but Harry didn't feel like talking beyond "Tom didn't hurt me." The psychiatrist had left in a bit of a huff. Harry liked knowing that he could tick the man off, even if it was in a small way. He tried to act so superior, so much so that it reminded Harry of Professor Trelawny. Thank goodness he had dropped Divination. He would have exploded something in frustration with intolerance for her syrupy speeches about death and doom for Harry Potter.
Harry looked up as the door opened. "Well, they no longer think I'm a threat to society." Matthew said as he walked in. "Took them long enough to find my paperwork concerning my profession and my patient, though they are not entirely convinced about him yet." Harry jumped up and hugged Matthew.
"You're okay." He said, holding onto Matthew.
"Wow, separation anxiety, kiddo?" Matthew asked, mussing Harry's hair. "I'm fine. Professor Dumbledore is confirming trial dates with Fudge as we speak." Harry nodded. He knew that as long as Tom was still alive, there was hope. He wished so, anyway. "Professor Dumbledore says that we're all staying at Hogwarts tonight. Tom, sadly, is staying here." Harry nodded dumbly. "You two ready to go?" Both boys nodded and got to their feet.
Matthew led them down the hall. Harry looked up in time to see Tom being led away by his handcuffs. He rushed forward and hugged him around the waist. The Aurors around Tom panicked and tried to pull Harry away. "Harry, let go, son." Harry looked up at him.
"They're going to throw you in Azkaban." Harry mumbled.
"Not yet." Tom answered. "You need to get some sleep. Go with Professor Dumbledore." He said as Dumbledore came forward. "I'll see you soon. Don't take that necklace off." Harry nodded and allowed Dumbledore to lead him away. Several of the Aurors were shocked to see the Boy Who Lived willingly touch the man they knew as Voldemort. Tom sighed as Harry disappeared from sight and allowed himself to be led to a cell.
Harry wiped his face furiously, hoping that no one had seen him drop a few tears. Snape was politely looking the other way, Draco was focused on the floor, and Dumbledore was straight ahead. "Oh, no." Dumbledore said. Harry looked up in surprise. "Press." Dumbledore said simply. Harry muttered a quick charm to wash his face and pulled on his best poker face. "We can find another way, Harry." Harry shook his head.
"I need to start acting as though I am an adult, or no one will believe what I say." Harry answered.
"I wish you didn't need to grow up so fast." Matthew said from behind him. "Tom wouldn't like this." Harry nodded.
"I know, but I need to do this." He answered. Dumbledore nodded, secured his arm around Harry's shoulder, and lead the way outside. Severus had taken the same protective position next to Draco. Matthew just seemed to flank them, running interference between the cameras and the boys. The minute the doors opened, Harry went deaf. There had to be at least three thousand voices everywhere, and they were all shouting his name. He wondered how they knew that he was there. Dumbledore guided him through the crowd and to the Floo station. He took a handful of powder and called out for Dumbledore's office. Four other people followed behind him.
"Bed for the both of you." Severus said behind the two boys. "I'll bring your dose in when you need it." He said to Harry. Harry nodded and allowed himself to be led to Gryffindor tower. He was surprised to find Draco there as well.
"The headmaster said I could stay in your dorm with you." He said nervously. Harry nodded and led Draco to an empty bed. Harry knew that the headmaster had asked Draco to stay with Harry to keep an eye on him. Harry didn't care much at the moment. "See you in the morning, mate."
"Night." Harry said. Sleep did not find Harry until much later, well after Severus had delivered his three a.m. dose and his trunk from home. He had sat up to think of a way to help Tom. He thought of it around dawn. He slept for only two hours until Severus came to wake both the boys for breakfast.
There was only a hand full of Hufflepuffs and one or two Ravenclaws who had stayed for Christmas holidays. No one looked at Draco and Harry talking together more than once. Harry was telling Draco his plan for helping Tom. "Everyone knows he couldn't touch me." Harry said. "I'll even pull some memories from my pensive to prove it. Then I'll show them that Tom and I can touch each other without any ill effects." Draco nodded, watching as Harry ate a little on his plate. Still not much, but enough.
"How do you plan to prove that you're not in pain when he touches you?" Draco asked.
"I have a few memories. I do need your permission though." Harry said, catching Draco's attention.
"Why's that?" Draco asked, wondering what Harry had in mind.
"I want to show them that Malfoy can't touch me." He said quietly.
"Do it." Draco said.
"Are you sure?" Harry asked. "I mean, he is your father." Draco shook his head.
"Maybe he was once, but not anymore. The sooner he is taken down, the better." Draco told Harry. "Besides, I was thinking of changing my name." Harry smiled.
"To what?" He asked.
"You'll find out later. The important thing is to help Tom." Both boys jumped when a Daily Prophet owl landed in front of them. "Jumpy, Harry?" Draco taunted. Harry smiled.
"No more than you!" Draco shrugged and took the paper from the owl. He opened it to the front page and smiled.
"You do take pictures well, Harry. You look like you're perfectly adjusted." Draco said with sarcasm. Harry looked over the pictures.
"They're better than the ones they were using for the 'mentally deranged' articles. At least here I look normal." Draco laughed while Harry made up funny captions to the moving pictures. At "all reporters move aside, I'm here to save the world!" Draco fell off the bench. A few of the other students looked over at him, and then turned back to their own breakfasts. True, Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were enemies, but to see Malfoy actually lose his composure to something Harry had said was too much for some of them to comprehend.
"Draco." Severus said, walking up to the pair sitting at the Gryffindor table. Draco turned around and smiled. "The headmaster and I are going back to the Ministry. Matthew should be down in a while." Severus leaned down to speak in Draco's ear while passing him two vials. Draco nodded and pocketed them. Harry knew that Draco was going to give him his doses today. That was fine with him. "Do try and stay out of trouble. I do not need to remind either of you that you are not to leave the castle grounds." He said, turning away and leaving the Great Hall.
"I wonder if there would be a way to tell his mood by how much his robes billow?" Harry remarked to Draco.
"The Slytherins figured that out in my first year. I'll let you in on the code." Draco explained the amount of billowing needed to consider Professor Snape in a bad mood. Matthew came down and lowered himself down on the bench next to the boys.
"Morning." He mumbled. Draco greeted him.
"He hasn't had his coffee yet. Give him a minute." Harry said. Ten minutes later, after Matthew's first cup of coffee, he perked up and looked over at Harry.
"Hello." He said, properly awake now. "How are you this morning?" Harry shrugged.
"I'm worried about Tom." He answered truthfully. He didn't want to lie to Matthew.
"They have to give him a trial." Draco said. "That would only be fair." Harry glared.
"They didn't give my godfather one." He said. "No hope even for Verasitum." Harry told the boy. "I doubt they will now. I just bet that one of the Aurors let in a Dementor while we were away." Harry confided. "I'm afraid that I'm going to walk in there and see a soulless body and lifeless eyes." Draco blinked in shock. Harry had obviously thought this through.
"There's one little problem with that." Draco told Harry. Harry looked up, while Matthew looked puzzled.
"What's that?" Harry asked, not really concerned.
"Malfoy signed the letter 'Dark Lord' at the end of it. Said that he was training a new apprentice and that the Ministry could never find the house because it had wards that kept it from being found. He also wrote in the letter that he planned to unveil his apprentice soon." Draco stopped talking.
"Bugger, Harry!" Matthew said, actually figuring out what Draco was driving towards. "Everyone thinks that the apprentice is you. And when you said that the man's name was Tom, that threw a whole wrench in the works, you might say." Harry grinned.
"They aren't exactly sure who this 'Dark Lord' is, because I said that he wasn't Voldemort, but Tom." Harry smiled. "This is great!" Matthew nodded.
"They need to have a trial now. They're not exactly sure of who they arrested. I told them yesterday that Tom Riddle was a patient of mine, recovering from split personality order. It took quite a while for them to find my documentation, but when they did they all went nuts." Harry smiled over to Draco.
"How would you feel about Malfoy being exposed?" Harry asked.
"The sooner the better." Draco answered. "I already told you this." Harry nodded.
"I know. I'm going to need your help." Draco nodded, happy to help. "How would you feel about them seeing some of your memories?"
"If you need them, I'll give them to you." Draco told him. "Anything to stop him. I can even give you names of all his supporters." Harry grinned.
"That's great." Harry and Draco finished their breakfast and told Matthew they were going to the library. Both wanted to research the apprentice laws and how binding they were, and also whether or not anyone has used split personalities as a defense. The library helped immensely and Harry was the proud owner of several sheets of parchment full of law notes. The boys were just putting their books away when a post owl found Harry. In his beak was a blood red envelope. "Oh, no." He said. He looked around the library to see if Madame Pince was in anywhere near them. Harry opened the letter and dove under the table, Draco joining him the minute the letter started screaming.
"HAROLD JAMES POTTER! JUST YOU WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU. I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I FELL FOR THAT LINE ABOUT DEATH EATERS. THE MINUTE I GET BACK TO SCHOOL, I'M GOING TO LET YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I THINK OF YOU, BECOMING YOU-KNOW-WHO'S APPRENTICE! HERE YOU'VE BEEN FIGHTING FOR THE LIGHT, AND THEN I SEE YOU DISPLAYED ALL OVER THE FRONT PAGE OF THE DAILY PROPHET AS SOME SORT OF 'HEIR' TO THE DARK LORD! JUST WAIT UNTIL I SEE YOU AGAIN!"
The letter ripped itself into many tiny shreds and burst into flame. Harry and Draco came out from beneath the table and looked at the tiny pieces of ashes still there. "Nice girl, that Granger. Not hesitant to show her true feelings at all." Draco remarked. Harry agreed with a soft "yeah" and groaned when he saw both Errol and Pigwidgeon fly into the library. "Who's that from?" He asked.
"The Weasleys." Draco, if it was possible, went even paler than he had been before.
"See you under the table, then." Draco said as he went back under the table. One letter was a regular, but the other was a Howler. It was in Pig's beak. Harry opened it and dove under the table.
"HIDING FROM DEATH EATERS? LIKE HELL YOU WERE! WHEN I FIND YOU, HARRY, I'M GOING TO THROTTLE YOU AND MAYBE YOU'LL COME BACK TO YOUR SENSES! DO YOU NOT REMEMBER SIRIUS AT ALL, CAUSE I SURE BLOODY HELL DO! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! TO THINK I CALLED YOU MATE AND LET YOU SLEEP IN MY ROOM! YOU'D BETTER NOT COME BACK TO HOGWARTS, BECAUSE YOU WON'T SURVIVE PAST HELLO!"
This letter immediately burst into flames. Harry pulled out his wand and cleaned the table before accepting the letter from Errol. He sat down the read it.
Harry dear,
While I cannot say that I believe that you went to You Know Who, I do know that you have been under immense pressure lately since you were kidnapped. Perhaps the person who kidnapped you did something to your mind. I recommend that you go to St. Mungo's to be looked over for any residual spells that control your way of thinking. Ron recommended something of the sort to me. I know Ron wrote to you, though I have a feeling that it was a Howler. Don't mind him, dear. When he finds out that you weren't there of your own free will, he'll come around, and so will dear Hermione. Remember to write me if you need anything. Stay strong, Harry.
Love,
Mrs. Weasley
Harry groaned and closed the letter. "Who's that from?" Draco asked.
"Mrs. Weasley. She's rather supportive and thinks there was a spell on me for some reason. Draco laughed as Harry put the letter away.
"Well, what do we do now?" Draco asked as Harry turned towards the door.
"That's easy. Use our pensives, of course." Harry led the way out of the library and to the dormitory, ready to collect evidence for Tom's defense.
Reviews:
Rebelbrat: Sorry. I don't think that this is a cliffy. Glad you liked the story!
RilieDeannPotter5569: Sorry about the cliffy. Here's your update. Thanks for reviewing!
Suzanne of Dragon's Breath: Thanks for the back rub! I hope you like this chapter. Thanks for the review.
HoshiHikari4ever: I know. It's going to start looking up though. Thanks for reviewing!
Andrea10: Soon enough for you, I hope? Don't know when the next one is going to be. My Muse is very sporadic. Thanks for reviewing!
Catherine Tavington: Thanks for your awesome review! I'm glad you liked my story.
VioletS: Glad I'm helping in your English lessons. Thanks for the great review. I'm glad that you liked my story so much. The next update will be soon. I'm sure you can write if you just try. That's what I did. Give it a shot. What's your first language? I speak German. I'd be happy to help with translation if that's your language.
SheWolfe7: LOL You wish for my death! Just kidding. She's still here. Malfoy is a master manipulator, and he knows what works. Thanks for reviewing!
Rachel A. Prongs: *bows* Thanks!
The Lady Reaper of Shadows: Thank you!
Riantlykalopsic: Thanks for the awesome review! Matthew was not meant to be a Mary Sue, more like a balance towards Tom's age. He can get to Harry's level, if you understand my phrasing. No slash, sorry! Perhaps you want a shot at it?? Thanks again!
Allison: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you liked it!
EriEka127: Thank you! Next chapter here!
Jbfritz: Thanks! Glad you like it. Next chapter is here!
SilverFated: Thanks!
Eriee: Thank you! I strive to make my characters believable. Thanks for the great review!
HermioneGreen: I agree. Daily Prophet goes mad! Lucius will understand all soon! Lots of rage. But that's the next chapter.
Numba1: Thanks. Harry is a Slytherin as well as Gryffindor. Just wait and see! Thanks for the review.
To Anyone I Missed: THANK YOU!
"All right, Harry. Let's start over again." Adam said, eyeing Draco as though Draco was a bug that he really wanted to crush. "How did you first come to be with You Know Who?" Harry and Draco exchanged smirks. The man was too frightened of a wizard to even say his name.
"You really want to know?" Harry asked. Adam smiled and nodded. "Okay. It all started when I was one year old." Draco snickered next to Harry, but Adam motioned for Harry to continue. At least the kid was talking. Perhaps he would be able to get some of the truth out of him. "Voldemort," the shrink actually flinched, "attacked and killed my parents." Harry said, handing the Gameboy to Draco. "Amuse yourself." He said to the teenager. Draco stared at it in confusion for a few minutes before Harry started a game for him. "Professor Dumbledore, whom is my emergency guardian when there is no one else, placed me with my Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. The married couple did everything that married couples usually do." Harry stopped and looked at Adam. "You do understand what I mean by that, right?" Adam looked up from his notes.
"Of course." He said, motioning Harry to continue. Harry nodded and started again.
"Well, that resulted in my cousin Dudley. Make sure you have the pleasure of never meeting him. He will just fool you into believing that he is a perfect angel. In reality, he's more like the git beside me." Draco looked up, glare on his face.
"Bloody Gryffindor!" Draco taunted.
"Slimy Slytherin!" Harry returned. "Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. I got my first Hogwarts letter just about a week before my eleventh birthday. To speed up time, I made it to Hogwarts, survived the whole year, and faced Voldemort" here Adam shuddered again, "who had been existing on the back of Professor Quirrel's head. Pretty gruesome really. I won, by the way." Adam nodded and continued making notes. "Second year, after an incident with a flying car, I faced a younger Voldemort in the Chamber of Secrets. He had a Basilisk too. Scary stuff really, but after the thing was blinded he was much easier to face." Adam nodded, saying he was with Harry in his story.
"Why did you get to see the Chamber of Secrets and I didn't?" Draco asked. Harry shrugged.
"I was the one with the sword?" He said, not entirely sure. "Believe me, had you wanted to go there instead of me, I would have let you." Draco smiled before going back to his game. "Okay, third year, there was a convicted murderer after me." He said, going back to his litany. "Except he was innocent and Peter Pettigrew is alive somewhere, just a matter of finding him, the little rat." Draco snorted. Harry had told him about his adventures with Sirius Black, and he had found Harry's wording appropriate. "Faced a werewolf, who was the best DADA teacher I've ever had, and fought some Dementors with my Patronus." Harry paused again. Adam was staring at him. "What?"
"You can conjure a real patronus?" He gasped. Harry smiled and nodded.
"Yes, I can. Professor Lupin, er, he wants me to call him Remus now, taught me how in my third year." Harry answered. "The Dementors had a really funny effect on me. Three times as worse as a normal wizard, I am told. So I wanted a way to fight them off." Harry shrugged. "Remus taught me." Adam swallowed and nodded, writing down some notes. Draco looked at Harry, who shrugged and turned back to Adam.
"Uh, go on, Harry." Adam said, shuffling his sheets of parchment.
"Well, Sirius escaped, he was my godfather, you know that, right?" Adam shook his head and wrote something down. "Well, my godfather escaped from having the Dementor's kiss and I ended up having to go back to the Dursley's. Fourth year was the whole Tri-wizard tournament. Don't think I'll ever get over that. Way too much stress. Anyway, everything was okay until the Third Task when Cedric and I..." Harry trailed off. Draco looked up. He had been there when Harry had returned with the body, a cut on his arm, and looking completely shell-shocked. Adam looked up at the silence.
"It wasn't your fault, Harry." Draco said quietly. Harry folded his arms and nodded. He knew that, but it still hurt to think about.
"Anyway, Voldemort" another shudder, "came back through some spell that he needed my blood for." Harry paused. "Cedric died." He said shortly. He took a deep breath. "Fifth year, a lot of stuff happened, my godfather died, and I ended up back at the Dursleys after helping to fight Voldemort with Professor Dumbledore. Professor Dumbledore did most of the work though." He said. "The Dursley's ignored me like always until my cousin started using me as a punching bag. Literally." Harry told the man. "Tom got me out, helped me heal, and taught me a lot of stuff. I think I'm done talking for a while." He said, putting his head down on the table. Adam finished writing up some notes and nodded.
"Okay, I'll be back in a little while." Adam told him. Harry nodded. Draco waited until the man left the room.
"There was nothing you could have done, mate." Draco said quietly. Inside the Head Auror's office, the man was watching the boys with his eyes wide. The stories were the same, just as he had said year after year. Potter's stories never changed.
"I know, Draco. I just feel like there was something I could have done. Something I should have done." Harry said, getting up from the chair and pacing the small space. "I am the Bloody Boy Who Lived, after all. Let's have a child kill the most evil wizard since Grindelwald." He said, anger making his voice thick. Draco knew that Harry had had it with the wizarding world in that statement. The Head Auror looked up as Adam came into the room. He gestured towards the wall.
"Harry, I know that I'm not much help, but you are more than just the Boy Who Lived." Draco said. "The wizarding world has done that to you, making you some kind of symbol. Don't try to live up to it." Harry snorted.
"Wanna switch places?" Harry asked. "Then you can have everyone staring at your scar, asking to see it, or just plain staring. Take your pick." Harry said, throwing himself back in his chair.
"Um, no. I like my forehead scarless. Besides, I don't think you want to deal with my father. He's been pretty mean lately." Harry looked up.
"Does it hurt bad?" He asked.
"There you go again. You've got a hero complex. You're trying to save me." Harry laughed at Draco's sentence.
"Gryffindor to the core." Harry answered. "So, does it?" Draco sighed.
"Not much." Draco lied. He knew Harry would try to get him to tell him.
"Liar. I'm connected too, remember?" Harry said, passing a hand over his scar. "If mine is any indication, yours should be worse." Draco grinned at his friend.
"There's that hero complex again. You should really do something about that." Draco answered.
"I was, until Aurors attacked my guardians." Harry answered. "Tom let me be a kid. He even let me play football." Draco raised an eyebrow.
"What's that?" He asked.
"Um, kind of like Quidditch. Except you play it with one ball, no brooms, it's all on the ground, and you can touch the ball with any part of your body except your hands. It's wicked."
"Muggle game then." Draco answered. Harry nodded. "Not worth my time." Draco told him. He was trying to make Harry forget about his guilty feelings.
"Hey! It's a good game. You have to know how to run. You do know how to run, don't you?" Harry paused. "Oh, yeah! You can run, I saw you do it from Voldemort first year. You can scream as well." Draco scowled.
"You'd better be nice to me. I have your next dose, which you should be needing in another three hours or so." Harry's eyes narrowed.
"Don't even tease like that." Harry said. Draco shrugged.
"Don't worry. You'll get it." Draco turned off the Gameboy. "I don't know about you, but I'm really hungry. You?" Harry shrugged. Draco knew that meant yes. "Okay." Severus had told him that Harry still wasn't up to eating a whole lot of food at once. He went over and knocked on the door. The guard opened it. "Hi. We're two teenage boys. We're normal you know." The guard looked at him. "We're hungry." The guard nodded.
"Just a second." He shut the door and went off down the hallway.
"Well, looks like we're going to get fed, at the very least." Harry smiled.
"I'm going to start calling you Ron." Draco snorted.
"You wouldn't dare." He said.
"You two would really like each other. If you could get past the whole rivalry thing." Draco looked surprised.
"Yeah, sure. Like he'd accept me." Harry nodded.
"He might. It'll take him a while to come around, but it will." The guard opened the door again.
"I've got permission to take you two down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. There aren't many people there this time of day." He said. Draco and Harry followed him into the hallway and down towards the cafeteria.
"Wonder what the food's going to be like?" Draco mumbled. Harry snorted, causing the guard to turn around to check on the boys. Both smiled and shrugged. He shook his head and turned down the hallway. They both followed and made faces behind the guard's back. They both knew it was immature, but they were trying to have fun. It was kind of hard to do that in the kind of setting that they had now.
"Wonder where Professor Dumbledore is?" Harry asked. "He's been gone for a while." Draco nodded and shrugged. He hadn't seen either of the professors after they had left. Harry suddenly stopped him. Draco looked over and noticed that Harry seemed out of breath.
"Harry?" Draco asked quietly. He knew that it wasn't time for another dose. It was too soon. "You okay?" He said quietly.
"Dementors." Harry whispered. "Here. Coming this way." Draco pulled out his wand and motioned for Harry to do the same.
"What is wrong with you two?" The guard asked, coming back. "I thought you were hungry?" The guard suddenly turned pale as two dementors were brought down the hallway. Draco lost what little color he had in his face.
"They're allied with him." Draco said, touching his arm. Harry saw the gesture and knew what he meant. "They'll be after you, too. He's become obsessed with Michael Riddle. They'll know it's you." Harry took a deep breath and threw out any unpleasant memories. He found a really happy memory, the day when Matthew had given Harry the charmed necklace that meant "cherished one". He pointed his wand as the dementors caught sight of him.
"Expectro Patronum!" He shouted, causing the guard to move forward with his own wand. The man finally figured out that the dementors were coming after the boys. Beside him, Draco pointed his own wand and said the same spell. A panther joined Harry's stag as they drove off the dementors. Screams from the creatures told of the patronus's success. Harry's stag came back to him and nuzzled him before fading. Draco's panther just stood there, looking over the boy before disappearing. Harry sank to the ground and took a deep breath.
"You both okay?" The guard asked. Harry nodded, just a little shakily, and waved the man away. Draco reassured the guard that he was fine, but some chocolate would help Harry. The man told them to stay where they were and he would be back in just a minute. Draco sank down next to Harry and looked at him. He was pale and sweaty.
"That took a lot out of you." It was a statement, not a question. Harry nodded. "Don't worry, I won't tell Tom." Harry smiled at Draco.
"Thanks." Harry said. "He'd ground me and take away my Gameboy." Adam came running up at that time.
"I heard what happened." He said. He pulled out two chocolate bars and handed one to each boy. Draco unwrapped Harry's before handing it to him. He doubted Harry's hands were steady enough to do so himself. "Any idea why the Dementors came after you like that?" Harry shrugged. Even if he told him, they wouldn't believe him. "Uh-huh." He pulled Draco to his feet and reached out a hand to help Harry. Harry glared at the man and accepted Draco's hand up. Draco put one of Harry's arms around his shoulders and helped Harry back to the interrogation room that Harry called home for the past day. Adam stayed with them the whole time and finally sent a guard for two meals for the boys. They both ate, dinner conversation non-existent due to Adam still being in the room. Draco pulled out a pack of Exploding Snap cards and got Harry interested in a game.
The time for Harry's dose came and went. Draco noticed his hands growing worse, shaking with more intensity. Harry's forehead beaded over with sweat and his eyes turned glassy. Draco checked his watch. It was well over three hours since Harry was supposed to have his last dose. Draco marveled at the will power for a minute before turning towards Adam, who was occupied with his notes. "Could you find Professor Snape for me, please?" He asked. Adam shrugged and went to the door. Draco pulled out the vial and uncorked it, watching as Adam talked to the guard at the door. He caught Harry's attention and Harry opened his mouth. Draco poured the vial down Harry's throat at the same time that Adam turned back around. Harry swallowed quickly and nodded to Draco.
"What was that?" Adam demanded, reaching for the vial. Draco looked up with his face completely void.
"What was what?" He asked, all innocence. Harry doubted Adam would buy it, and indeed the man didn't.
"The liquid you just gave him." Adam said. The door opened a minute later and the Head Auror came in.
"The vial, please." He said, holding his hand out for it. Draco glanced at Harry. Harry smiled a bit and pinched two fingers together. The vial shattered and fell from Draco's hand.
"Oops." Draco said, wiping his hand off on his robes. "It just shattered." The door opened and Snape came in. "Hi, Severus." Severus nodded to Draco and looked Harry over.
"Heard you had a run-in with a Dementor." He said, taking in Harry's appearance. Snape looked to Draco, who nodded slightly. Harry was surprised. These two already had some secret communication worked out. "Are you all right?" Harry nodded.
"I am now. Just a little worn out." He answered truthfully. Severus would have threatened it out of him anyway. Adam was demanding that Snape leave. Severus only raised an eyebrow at him before turning back to Harry. "How's Tom?" Harry asked.
"Out of his mind with worry about you." He answered. Harry would have dragged the truth out anyway. "Heard about your little Patronus earlier and went frantic about you not having any chocolate on you." Harry smiled. "Now that I know you're fine, I'm sure he'll be a little less frightened. He does ask, however, that you refrain from spells that aren't really necessary." Harry looked up. Dementors had been coming at him, hoods lowered. What had Tom expected?
"Pardon me, Professor, but Draco and I were the only ones driving those crazy things off." Severus turned and stared at the Head Auror.
"Are you telling me that two teenaged boys had to defend themselves against a dementor because no one on your staff was able to do so?" Severus said, advancing on the man. Draco grinned and sat back to watch the show.
The Head Auror argued with Severus for several minutes before being satisfied. Severus turned back to Draco and fussed with Draco's robes. "Make yourself halfway decent, boy." Draco smiled and nodded, smoothing his robes. Severus put a hand on either shoulder, four fingers resting on each. Draco nodded and waved to Severus as the man left.
"What was that all about?" Harry asked as Adam and the Head Auror left the room.
"He gave me your next dose and told me you would need it in eight hours." Harry smiled.
"All without a word, too." Harry said, amazed. Draco nodded and started another snap game. Both boys jumped when the door opened again.
"Give me the dose." The Head Auror demanded. Draco raised an eyebrow.
"What's that?" He asked.
"Whatever you have that your teacher gave you." He said. Harry realized that they had been watched the whole time. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Actually, it's some medication that I need that is kind of private. Draco holds onto an extra dose for me, just in case I need it." Harry answered. "Leave him alone. Standard pain-killing potion." Harry turned his back to the Auror. Draco took the next card and threw it to the pile.
"Your turn." He said. Draco and Harry continued to ignore the Auror standing next to them. When he threatened to take it by force, Draco raised an eyebrow.
"Technically, neither of us are under arrest, and you have no real grounds on which to arrest us. I'm here by free choice, and Harry's here for questioning. You can neither request nor deny any medications Harry needs, and if you try it, my personal lawyer will be here so fast that you'd think someone used an Unforgivable on you." Draco said, dismissing the man for the time being. "I hope Professor Dumbledore is ready to leave soon." He mumbled, causing Harry to grin. He wanted to leave, but not without ensuring Tom and Matthew's safety.
Adam came and went, but Harry didn't feel like talking beyond "Tom didn't hurt me." The psychiatrist had left in a bit of a huff. Harry liked knowing that he could tick the man off, even if it was in a small way. He tried to act so superior, so much so that it reminded Harry of Professor Trelawny. Thank goodness he had dropped Divination. He would have exploded something in frustration with intolerance for her syrupy speeches about death and doom for Harry Potter.
Harry looked up as the door opened. "Well, they no longer think I'm a threat to society." Matthew said as he walked in. "Took them long enough to find my paperwork concerning my profession and my patient, though they are not entirely convinced about him yet." Harry jumped up and hugged Matthew.
"You're okay." He said, holding onto Matthew.
"Wow, separation anxiety, kiddo?" Matthew asked, mussing Harry's hair. "I'm fine. Professor Dumbledore is confirming trial dates with Fudge as we speak." Harry nodded. He knew that as long as Tom was still alive, there was hope. He wished so, anyway. "Professor Dumbledore says that we're all staying at Hogwarts tonight. Tom, sadly, is staying here." Harry nodded dumbly. "You two ready to go?" Both boys nodded and got to their feet.
Matthew led them down the hall. Harry looked up in time to see Tom being led away by his handcuffs. He rushed forward and hugged him around the waist. The Aurors around Tom panicked and tried to pull Harry away. "Harry, let go, son." Harry looked up at him.
"They're going to throw you in Azkaban." Harry mumbled.
"Not yet." Tom answered. "You need to get some sleep. Go with Professor Dumbledore." He said as Dumbledore came forward. "I'll see you soon. Don't take that necklace off." Harry nodded and allowed Dumbledore to lead him away. Several of the Aurors were shocked to see the Boy Who Lived willingly touch the man they knew as Voldemort. Tom sighed as Harry disappeared from sight and allowed himself to be led to a cell.
Harry wiped his face furiously, hoping that no one had seen him drop a few tears. Snape was politely looking the other way, Draco was focused on the floor, and Dumbledore was straight ahead. "Oh, no." Dumbledore said. Harry looked up in surprise. "Press." Dumbledore said simply. Harry muttered a quick charm to wash his face and pulled on his best poker face. "We can find another way, Harry." Harry shook his head.
"I need to start acting as though I am an adult, or no one will believe what I say." Harry answered.
"I wish you didn't need to grow up so fast." Matthew said from behind him. "Tom wouldn't like this." Harry nodded.
"I know, but I need to do this." He answered. Dumbledore nodded, secured his arm around Harry's shoulder, and lead the way outside. Severus had taken the same protective position next to Draco. Matthew just seemed to flank them, running interference between the cameras and the boys. The minute the doors opened, Harry went deaf. There had to be at least three thousand voices everywhere, and they were all shouting his name. He wondered how they knew that he was there. Dumbledore guided him through the crowd and to the Floo station. He took a handful of powder and called out for Dumbledore's office. Four other people followed behind him.
"Bed for the both of you." Severus said behind the two boys. "I'll bring your dose in when you need it." He said to Harry. Harry nodded and allowed himself to be led to Gryffindor tower. He was surprised to find Draco there as well.
"The headmaster said I could stay in your dorm with you." He said nervously. Harry nodded and led Draco to an empty bed. Harry knew that the headmaster had asked Draco to stay with Harry to keep an eye on him. Harry didn't care much at the moment. "See you in the morning, mate."
"Night." Harry said. Sleep did not find Harry until much later, well after Severus had delivered his three a.m. dose and his trunk from home. He had sat up to think of a way to help Tom. He thought of it around dawn. He slept for only two hours until Severus came to wake both the boys for breakfast.
There was only a hand full of Hufflepuffs and one or two Ravenclaws who had stayed for Christmas holidays. No one looked at Draco and Harry talking together more than once. Harry was telling Draco his plan for helping Tom. "Everyone knows he couldn't touch me." Harry said. "I'll even pull some memories from my pensive to prove it. Then I'll show them that Tom and I can touch each other without any ill effects." Draco nodded, watching as Harry ate a little on his plate. Still not much, but enough.
"How do you plan to prove that you're not in pain when he touches you?" Draco asked.
"I have a few memories. I do need your permission though." Harry said, catching Draco's attention.
"Why's that?" Draco asked, wondering what Harry had in mind.
"I want to show them that Malfoy can't touch me." He said quietly.
"Do it." Draco said.
"Are you sure?" Harry asked. "I mean, he is your father." Draco shook his head.
"Maybe he was once, but not anymore. The sooner he is taken down, the better." Draco told Harry. "Besides, I was thinking of changing my name." Harry smiled.
"To what?" He asked.
"You'll find out later. The important thing is to help Tom." Both boys jumped when a Daily Prophet owl landed in front of them. "Jumpy, Harry?" Draco taunted. Harry smiled.
"No more than you!" Draco shrugged and took the paper from the owl. He opened it to the front page and smiled.
"You do take pictures well, Harry. You look like you're perfectly adjusted." Draco said with sarcasm. Harry looked over the pictures.
"They're better than the ones they were using for the 'mentally deranged' articles. At least here I look normal." Draco laughed while Harry made up funny captions to the moving pictures. At "all reporters move aside, I'm here to save the world!" Draco fell off the bench. A few of the other students looked over at him, and then turned back to their own breakfasts. True, Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were enemies, but to see Malfoy actually lose his composure to something Harry had said was too much for some of them to comprehend.
"Draco." Severus said, walking up to the pair sitting at the Gryffindor table. Draco turned around and smiled. "The headmaster and I are going back to the Ministry. Matthew should be down in a while." Severus leaned down to speak in Draco's ear while passing him two vials. Draco nodded and pocketed them. Harry knew that Draco was going to give him his doses today. That was fine with him. "Do try and stay out of trouble. I do not need to remind either of you that you are not to leave the castle grounds." He said, turning away and leaving the Great Hall.
"I wonder if there would be a way to tell his mood by how much his robes billow?" Harry remarked to Draco.
"The Slytherins figured that out in my first year. I'll let you in on the code." Draco explained the amount of billowing needed to consider Professor Snape in a bad mood. Matthew came down and lowered himself down on the bench next to the boys.
"Morning." He mumbled. Draco greeted him.
"He hasn't had his coffee yet. Give him a minute." Harry said. Ten minutes later, after Matthew's first cup of coffee, he perked up and looked over at Harry.
"Hello." He said, properly awake now. "How are you this morning?" Harry shrugged.
"I'm worried about Tom." He answered truthfully. He didn't want to lie to Matthew.
"They have to give him a trial." Draco said. "That would only be fair." Harry glared.
"They didn't give my godfather one." He said. "No hope even for Verasitum." Harry told the boy. "I doubt they will now. I just bet that one of the Aurors let in a Dementor while we were away." Harry confided. "I'm afraid that I'm going to walk in there and see a soulless body and lifeless eyes." Draco blinked in shock. Harry had obviously thought this through.
"There's one little problem with that." Draco told Harry. Harry looked up, while Matthew looked puzzled.
"What's that?" Harry asked, not really concerned.
"Malfoy signed the letter 'Dark Lord' at the end of it. Said that he was training a new apprentice and that the Ministry could never find the house because it had wards that kept it from being found. He also wrote in the letter that he planned to unveil his apprentice soon." Draco stopped talking.
"Bugger, Harry!" Matthew said, actually figuring out what Draco was driving towards. "Everyone thinks that the apprentice is you. And when you said that the man's name was Tom, that threw a whole wrench in the works, you might say." Harry grinned.
"They aren't exactly sure who this 'Dark Lord' is, because I said that he wasn't Voldemort, but Tom." Harry smiled. "This is great!" Matthew nodded.
"They need to have a trial now. They're not exactly sure of who they arrested. I told them yesterday that Tom Riddle was a patient of mine, recovering from split personality order. It took quite a while for them to find my documentation, but when they did they all went nuts." Harry smiled over to Draco.
"How would you feel about Malfoy being exposed?" Harry asked.
"The sooner the better." Draco answered. "I already told you this." Harry nodded.
"I know. I'm going to need your help." Draco nodded, happy to help. "How would you feel about them seeing some of your memories?"
"If you need them, I'll give them to you." Draco told him. "Anything to stop him. I can even give you names of all his supporters." Harry grinned.
"That's great." Harry and Draco finished their breakfast and told Matthew they were going to the library. Both wanted to research the apprentice laws and how binding they were, and also whether or not anyone has used split personalities as a defense. The library helped immensely and Harry was the proud owner of several sheets of parchment full of law notes. The boys were just putting their books away when a post owl found Harry. In his beak was a blood red envelope. "Oh, no." He said. He looked around the library to see if Madame Pince was in anywhere near them. Harry opened the letter and dove under the table, Draco joining him the minute the letter started screaming.
"HAROLD JAMES POTTER! JUST YOU WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU. I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I FELL FOR THAT LINE ABOUT DEATH EATERS. THE MINUTE I GET BACK TO SCHOOL, I'M GOING TO LET YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I THINK OF YOU, BECOMING YOU-KNOW-WHO'S APPRENTICE! HERE YOU'VE BEEN FIGHTING FOR THE LIGHT, AND THEN I SEE YOU DISPLAYED ALL OVER THE FRONT PAGE OF THE DAILY PROPHET AS SOME SORT OF 'HEIR' TO THE DARK LORD! JUST WAIT UNTIL I SEE YOU AGAIN!"
The letter ripped itself into many tiny shreds and burst into flame. Harry and Draco came out from beneath the table and looked at the tiny pieces of ashes still there. "Nice girl, that Granger. Not hesitant to show her true feelings at all." Draco remarked. Harry agreed with a soft "yeah" and groaned when he saw both Errol and Pigwidgeon fly into the library. "Who's that from?" He asked.
"The Weasleys." Draco, if it was possible, went even paler than he had been before.
"See you under the table, then." Draco said as he went back under the table. One letter was a regular, but the other was a Howler. It was in Pig's beak. Harry opened it and dove under the table.
"HIDING FROM DEATH EATERS? LIKE HELL YOU WERE! WHEN I FIND YOU, HARRY, I'M GOING TO THROTTLE YOU AND MAYBE YOU'LL COME BACK TO YOUR SENSES! DO YOU NOT REMEMBER SIRIUS AT ALL, CAUSE I SURE BLOODY HELL DO! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! TO THINK I CALLED YOU MATE AND LET YOU SLEEP IN MY ROOM! YOU'D BETTER NOT COME BACK TO HOGWARTS, BECAUSE YOU WON'T SURVIVE PAST HELLO!"
This letter immediately burst into flames. Harry pulled out his wand and cleaned the table before accepting the letter from Errol. He sat down the read it.
Harry dear,
While I cannot say that I believe that you went to You Know Who, I do know that you have been under immense pressure lately since you were kidnapped. Perhaps the person who kidnapped you did something to your mind. I recommend that you go to St. Mungo's to be looked over for any residual spells that control your way of thinking. Ron recommended something of the sort to me. I know Ron wrote to you, though I have a feeling that it was a Howler. Don't mind him, dear. When he finds out that you weren't there of your own free will, he'll come around, and so will dear Hermione. Remember to write me if you need anything. Stay strong, Harry.
Love,
Mrs. Weasley
Harry groaned and closed the letter. "Who's that from?" Draco asked.
"Mrs. Weasley. She's rather supportive and thinks there was a spell on me for some reason. Draco laughed as Harry put the letter away.
"Well, what do we do now?" Draco asked as Harry turned towards the door.
"That's easy. Use our pensives, of course." Harry led the way out of the library and to the dormitory, ready to collect evidence for Tom's defense.
Reviews:
Rebelbrat: Sorry. I don't think that this is a cliffy. Glad you liked the story!
RilieDeannPotter5569: Sorry about the cliffy. Here's your update. Thanks for reviewing!
Suzanne of Dragon's Breath: Thanks for the back rub! I hope you like this chapter. Thanks for the review.
HoshiHikari4ever: I know. It's going to start looking up though. Thanks for reviewing!
Andrea10: Soon enough for you, I hope? Don't know when the next one is going to be. My Muse is very sporadic. Thanks for reviewing!
Catherine Tavington: Thanks for your awesome review! I'm glad you liked my story.
VioletS: Glad I'm helping in your English lessons. Thanks for the great review. I'm glad that you liked my story so much. The next update will be soon. I'm sure you can write if you just try. That's what I did. Give it a shot. What's your first language? I speak German. I'd be happy to help with translation if that's your language.
SheWolfe7: LOL You wish for my death! Just kidding. She's still here. Malfoy is a master manipulator, and he knows what works. Thanks for reviewing!
Rachel A. Prongs: *bows* Thanks!
The Lady Reaper of Shadows: Thank you!
Riantlykalopsic: Thanks for the awesome review! Matthew was not meant to be a Mary Sue, more like a balance towards Tom's age. He can get to Harry's level, if you understand my phrasing. No slash, sorry! Perhaps you want a shot at it?? Thanks again!
Allison: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you liked it!
EriEka127: Thank you! Next chapter here!
Jbfritz: Thanks! Glad you like it. Next chapter is here!
SilverFated: Thanks!
Eriee: Thank you! I strive to make my characters believable. Thanks for the great review!
HermioneGreen: I agree. Daily Prophet goes mad! Lucius will understand all soon! Lots of rage. But that's the next chapter.
Numba1: Thanks. Harry is a Slytherin as well as Gryffindor. Just wait and see! Thanks for the review.
To Anyone I Missed: THANK YOU!