Whoot its chapter 2! (By the way, this isn't a slash story, sorry!) thank you to my delightful reviewers xD oh, and just a warning, my writing style –may- change in various chapters depending on my mood when I wrote it. O.o. I know odd, isn't it?
And I also apologize profusely for not posting for such a long time – I find it difficult to manage typing it up in the midst of assignments for college, the sims 2 and my large family who all like computers x.X. (I have an almost Weasley sized family –its great! xD)
0o0o0o0o
"I wonder what it could be. Well, I expect he would have had things that he would have wanted to go to you, Harry." Hermione said, moving some books and what looked like an innocent bottle of ink off of the highly polished coffee table – however, she knew better. "honestly, I do wish Fred and George would stop leaving their products everywhere – we are all going to end up in St Mungos!" she exclaimed, shoving the ink bottle into its box before it exploded and coated them all in non-removable, colour changing ink.
Harry had arrived back at the Burrow and had run in wanting to open the crate but not without Hermione and Ron. Mrs Weasley and Ginny had gone down to the local village and Fred, George and Charlie were all at work, so the generally bustling house was almost empty.
Dumping the crate down impatiently, tore off the lid and pulled out an envelope that had familiar, looped purple hand writing on the front that bore his name.
Ron held up a round, glass bottle full of a glowing duck-egg blue potion and stared in wonder whilst Hermione flicked through an old green bound book.
"wow, this stuff looks really…" Rons voice trailed off as he picked up another book and flicked through, his attention captured by the moving illustrations.
Harry, however, was not listening as he had ripped open the envelope and pulled out a neatly folded letter.
'Dear Harry,
I must apologize for my recent and most dramatic exit that took place. However, I do hope you understand it is for the best. I have left this box for you – of course, and I would advise, to share the content with Mr Weasley and Miss Granger – they are a great asset to you. The things enclosed are what I believe to be helpful information, clues and almost certain locations of the remaining Horcruxes. I believe you will be successful in your mission – never give up hope.
Yours Sincerely, Albus Dumbledore.
After he had finished reading the letter, Harry took an audible breath and blinked rapidly – for some reason, it had made tears begin to prick his eyes. Letting go of the envelope he had held at his side, he sat on the blue pin striped sofa and stared into the empty fire grate, his mind racing. What had he meant by exit? Surely death was, well death- you couldn't re-enter after you had died which was what it seemed to indicate. Did this mean that what had happened was planned and Snape was innocent? Was he really dead? Afterall, he did not see the face of the covered up body Hagrid had carried – it did not have to be that of Dumbledores.
"Oh Harry! Look what he left you!" the excited exclaims of Hermione stopped his thoughts as he turned to look. Held carefully in her hands was the pensieve Harry had become so familiar with over the past school year. Ron too was staring in wonderment – but with a slightly ore confused look on his face.
"I...wow – are the memories in there too?" Harry said quietly, walking slowly over toward his two best friends.
"Well if they are these, then yes." Hermione replied, holding up a small vial of swirling silver substance. He nodded in response and decided to look at the rest of the content, examining each thing before placing it on the table and writing its name on a piece of parchment at Hermiones suggestion. He ended up with two interesting looking potions, two books – 'objects of the soul' published in 1747 and the 'Arte that is darkeste' which Hermione excitedly informed them to be incredibly old and extremely rare – it had been banned in the eighteen hundreds, Riddles old diary (Harry thought this to be gone and hastily hid it so Ginny wouldn't know), Gaunts ring, some extensive notes, research and theories about Voldemort and the whereabouts of the remaining Horcruxes.
What do you suppose these potions are?" Ron asked after Harry had folded up his list.
"I'm not too sure. Perhaps replenishing potions of some sort." Hermione replied thoughtfully. The front door suddenly opened and the sound or Mrs Weasley and Ginny entering with shopping came down the hallway and into the sitting room.
After dinner, the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione made their way back into the living room, feeling rather full and lazy.
"Wanna play chess?" Ron asked Harry, dropping himself into one of the comfy blue armchairs and pulling the coffee table toward him.
"Erm…no thanks – I'll just sit down for a while." Harry replied, settling himself in the window seat.
0o0o0
"I think I'll go for a walk." Harry suddenly said a while later, standing up and stretching.
"Are you alright dear?" Mrs Weasley asked, looking up from the purple thing she was knitting.
"I'm fine thanks." He replied, giving her a half smile.
"Shall I ..ow!" Ron rubbed his leg and glared at Hermione, who shook her head ever so slightly.
"Well don't be too long dear, I want to lock up by ten – Arthur should be home a bit earlier tonight."
Harry nodded and wondered out the room toward the front door. Not bothering with a jacket, he closed it quietly behind him and set off up the road toward the wood where he had apparated earlier that day. The air was warm and still – only the twittering of a nearby bird to break the general silence. The village opposite on the hill was nothing more than mere black shapes against the orange-pink sky. He took a deep breath then exhaled slowly, trying to clear his overloaded mind and relax himself, then began to walk between the small thicket of trees.
The wood that covered most of the hills thinned out where Harry had entered, just a small stretched arm which took him ten minutes to walk through.
Clambering over a small, wooden fence that looked just about ready to collapse, Harry dropped down into long thick grass, the tips of it reaching to just above his knees.
A soft breeze blew, so it sounded as though a thousand mysterious voices were whispering close by. Harry welcomed the breeze although it was warm – the stillness had been suffocating. Walking along, his thoughts once again wondered to the crate and the many questions he had. Not really taking note of the where his feet took him, Harry was rather startled when he felt something soft and tripped up – which was accompanied by a muffled groan of pain. After a quickly muttered 'lumos', Harry pulled himself up and turned anxiously to see who he had hurt – his own throbbing elbows forgotten.
"Are you alri…" the question died on his lips as a familiar, though dirty, cut and bruised silver –blond head came into view. "Malfoy?" So surprised to see Draco, Harry momentarily forgot he happened to dislike him. "What the heck are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same question." Draco hissed irritably through clenched teeth, rubbing his arm. Silver like eyes glared at Harry, looking rather surreal in the white blue moonlight that had began to creep up over the world.
"No you couldn't – I'm living around here." Harry replied with a snort. After realizing suddenly why the boy opposite was in the field, he turned and pinned Draco to the ground by his neck, pointing his wand at the paler boys face.
"Where's Snape?" he growled, hate and anger quite evident in his own green eyes, even though most of his face was in shadow.
"I-I don't know…wherever I left him I guess!" Draco gasped, clawing at Harrys hand as best he could. Giving him an untrusting glare, Harry let go of his neck but kept his wand trained at Dracos heart.
"Wheres your wand?"
"I broke it, havn't been able to get a new one just yet."
"Oh." Draco scrambled to sit up, rubbing his neck, but he didn't dare look at Harry. For a moment, they sat in silence, Harry glaring at Draco every now and then, his wand gripped tightly. Draco sat hunched over, his arms around his legs, apparently deep in thought.
"So why are you here then?" Harry asked eventually, shifting his gaze from the glittering lights of the village below to the hunched figure. Draco shrugged in a first response, fiddling with a broken twig in the dust.
"I've just been walking since I escaped. From Snape, I mean." At that moment, their disliking for eachother seemed to have vanished, so Harry did not seem surprised by the civilness of their conversation.
"Walking? For how long?"
"About four days. I'm – I'm just so fed up with it all, I never wanted to get into this whole war thing."
Harry just stared at Draco for a moment in stunned amazement.
"you – but on the way you treat – what you said on the train…" about one hundred replies rushed into Harry's head, all very ready to contradict. To his surprise, Draco gave a half laugh and nodded.
"Yeah, but when you get brought up in a family like mine, are given no choices on how you live, its difficult to do other wise. I mean – at first, I really believed everything, thought it would be great – you know, living under the rule of someone who promises to make everything great for you. Until suddenly, you're given some crazy order to kill…I guess it just hit me – what was I doing? Serving some psychopath whos idea of fun is torturing people for the hell of it?"
another stunned silence followed, Harry quite at loss for words as he stared at his former enemy in bewildered amazement. He really couldn't believe what he had just heard – Malfoy confessing – no explaining – that he really didn't believe in Voldemort. Quite sure he was dreaming or had gone completely insane, Harry stood up, not really sure what he was doing.
"Whatever Malfoy … just go back to wherever you came from."
"What? Where are you going?" Draco said in puzzlement, scrambling up himself. "I don't get it…"
"There is nothing to get, Malfoy. You've obviously been sent here to spy or something – just beat it before I beat you."
"What the heck is with you Potter? Spy? I have no idea in hell where I am, I've been wondering around with no food, hardly any water, no way of protecting myself and you think I'm here to spy? Seriously – I think you've lost it."
Harry came to a halt then, not really sure what to do – it had been a long day.
"I've lost it? Actually I think the entire world has lost it – I'm just so fed up with this – everything is upside down! I'm just so…ergh!" he clenched and unclenching his fists in frustration, glaring out across the light pricked valley. Draco just stared at him in interest for a moment, the silver – blue moonlight reflecting in his eyes making them illuminate surreally.
Letting out a long breath, Harry turned to him and folded his arms.
"So – what do you want then? If you really are as innocent as you claim – I still don't believe you – I suppose I could help you."
"Really? That would be…thanks." Harry raised an eyebrow at this but said nothing and continued to walk back toward the Burrow.
"Where are you staying anyway? I thought you lived in a muggle town with your aunt and uncle." Draco asked, trying not to trip up over the tangled grass that seemed adamant to twist around his ankles.
"I did – Dumbledore wanted me to go back but I'm not. The Weasleys have let me stay with them." He watched Draco out of the corner of his eye to monitor his reaction, but surprisingly Draco just nodded then frowned.
"Wait – I thought you loved being there – according to the rest of the world everyone loves you." Harry gave an amused snort and pushed his way through the fence.
"You're kidding right? My aunt and uncle love magic and wizards about as much as Snape enjoys my company. I'd never heard of Hogwarts, magic or wizards before my eleventh birthday – I was locked in a cupboard and made to do house work in an attempt to get it out of me."
"Really? Wow, everyone thinks that your family practically worships you."
They stood in silence for a while, just listening to the breeze as it rustled the grass.
"So why don't you just go back you your parents? Surely even you know your dads out of Azkaban – someone released all the prisoners the other week." Harry asked eventually – he, like Draco believed that the other had a wonderful life.
"I don't want to go back. That's the whole point of running away." Draco replied irritably, sitting down and staring out over the valley.
"Yeah but they're your parents – they wouldn't make you go back!" they reply Harry received was a wry laugh.
"Let me tell you something about being a follower, Potter – once a follower always a follower or death. They are your only two options. I'm attempting to defeat the second but you are being about as helpful as an upside down map. My parents will just force me to go back or hand me to the dark lord on a silver plate – point is I don't matter."
Harry stood staring helplessly at the proud profile of the boy infront of him, unsure of what to do.
"But they're your parents!" he said again after a tense silence. "They have to…"
"Well you're wrong." Draco cut across, the anger, sadness and bitterness so often locked inside of him as evident as the growing darkness. "I'll let you in on a little secret – my parents don't care – well not as much as they used to. Perhaps my mother did, after all she did make that unbreakable vow with Snape about killing Dumbledore…"
"What?" this bit of news was interesting – although he knew about the vow he had never really figured out what it was for…
"You never knew?" Draco replied in surprise.
"No – well at least not what it was for, I knew about the vow. Tell me, it could be useful."
And so for the next hour and a half, the two former enemies sat and talked about the vow, the death, the box and every other thing they could think of to do with the up and coming war, and little did they know how much help and support they were giving eachother.
0o0o0o0o
"Ok…well I think we should be going – I have to be in by ten, Rons mum wants to lock up…Malfoy?"
Harry had stood up to begin the walk back, but Draco had stopped mid standing. "Are you ok?" standing up slowly, Draco took in a sharp breath.
"Its just that, well - do you think they will let me in?" Harry raised an eyebrow and then shrugged.
"Well they might not mind for one night, but I think I have a place you can stay complee with house elf."
"Oh, well thanks Potter, appreciate it."
Harry gave a half grin and turned back toward the silently waiting stretch of trees.
"Oh and Malfoy?"
"Hmm…Aghhh!" Draco suddenly disappeared from view, apparently he hadn't been paying attention.
"Bloody roots." He said through clenched teeth, glaring at the offending twist of root and rubbing his ankle. "Give us a hand would you Potter?"
Harry, who had been trying to suppress his laughter held out a hand and pulled the blond to his feet.
"Do me a favour Malfoy, and call me Harry – Potter gets a bit irritating after a while, ok?"
Giving Harry a quizzical look, he said " as long as you call me Draco."
O0o0o0
Well there we have it – chapter 2! I should be putting up 3 very shortly as I've already started it.