A/N: Chapter twenty: the conspirators are revealed.

This is is Harry/Draco, post-Hogwarts, though the slash content is extremely light. There are very vague suggestions of other relationships as well.

I've got this all written out, and am posting one a week. There will be 23 chapters total. All that's left is the editing.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Dedication: To Foodie, who still betas me despite my predilection for slash, and for FionaFawkes, who read and reviewed every single chapter, and gave me such excellent feedback. Also, for everyone who's read and loved my Harry/Draco. This one's for you.

-----20

Unfortunately, Kingsley turned out to be quite busy not only that day (which really should have been no surprise—Draco'd gotten so caught up in going over the list that he'd completely forgotten it was Christmas…), but would also be quite busy for the next week. And only a few days into the following week would be the next test.

Draco wasn't too worried about it. It would be nice to get his wand back a few weeks earlier, but at the rate he was aging, he only had two tests left. He sent the notes he'd made off to Kingsley, indicating Daphne as his top choice for "Roi," and Theo as his top choice for "Bear." He hoped his guesses would help a little, at least.

Then he spent the rest of the evening conquering the world.

Lucius joined him at some point, and then Harry and Remus came in with a plate of sandwiches for them all for dinner, and the four of them proceeded to watch a rather preachy movie that Harry kept insisting was a classic. There was no colour at all, and the main character continued to whinge about having to forget about his own dreams to keep the family business running. To a point where he even tried to commit suicide. It was really all too much. After it was over, Draco insisted that the only reason Harry liked it was because when everything changed, the town's name became "Potterville."

"Please, Draco. Like I'd want to be in any way connected to a man like that…"

Draco raised an eyebrow, and Harry flushed. "Oh, you know what I mean. I wasn't talking about you or Lucius," he grumbled.

"Really, Potter? Are you sure about that?"

"Come on. Let's go have a bit of pie before bedtime," Harry said to change the subject.

Falling asleep that night, Draco decided that even with the arguments, it really had been his best Christmas ever.

The next week was filled with hurried conversations with Hermione, one visit by Kingsley, who did have some questions about Draco's lists once he managed to find a few free hours, and another visit from Severus.

Lucius seemed to have settled into the program, though Draco could see there were a few things that still bothered him more than they did Draco, and Severus's visit seemed to help him come to terms with them. He'd never be able to separate himself from his Death Eater image, but he might actually make it through the program. He even seemed to be getting along better with Remus, which quite surprised Draco.

The morning of the next test, Draco woke up from a horrifying dream. He'd dreamed that they'd gone to the test, and for some reason, even though they'd caught the cheaters, they'd decided to cancel the program, and de-age them all to the age of four before throwing them back in Azkaban. He'd woken to an image of his aunt Bella pulling him towards her, an even madder look on her face than when he had last seen her in the middle of the final battle. He'd woken, trembling, to feel arms around him, and, terrified, struggled desperately against their hold until Harry had whispered in his ear, "It's just me, Draco, it's okay, it was just a dream."

Hearing the familiar voice, he slumped back against Harry's chest.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked him. Draco nodded, but he still couldn't manage to speak. "Do I want to know what you were dreaming about?" Harry asked softly.

Draco shook his head. "What time is it?" he managed to ask.

"Four fifteen or so. At least it was when I woke up and heard you screaming. That was a few minutes ago, though. You okay now?"

Draco shook his head. "No. Please, stay with me a bit?"

Harry sighed. "I won't leave until you fall back to sleep, okay?"

Draco nodded, turning his face into Harry's shoulder. "Thank you."

"You've been fine practically the entire time you've been here, Draco. What set this off?"

Draco hid his face. "Azkaban."

"What about it?"

"What if they can't figure out which of the others were involved with McMillan? What if they decide to send us all back, just to be sure?"

"Draco, they won't do that. Besides, the Minister and I have a—special arrangement. I won't let them take you or your father, okay?"

Draco nodded. "Thank you." He thought for a long moment, wondering what Harry had actually said to the Minister to convince him to leave the Malfoys alone, when another thought occurred to him. He pulled back from Harry's shoulder to look up into his face. "You're willing to protect my father, despite what he did to you and your friends when you were younger, and what he tried to do to Remus?"

Harry shrugged. "Well, Remus insisted on that part, and I didn't want to hurt you, if there was any chance of saving Lucius, so, yeah, I'm willing. And despite everything, he does seem to be trying, now, doesn't he?"

Draco looked at Harry for a long moment before he had to turn away. Harry's nobility confused him. Sure, they liked each other, but Draco still had a hard time dealing with the idea of anyone putting someone else before themselves. It just really wasn't in his nature.

"What if they don't figure out who did all this, Harry? Will the others be sent back?"

"I honestly can't say, Draco. I wish I knew, so I could reassure you. I promise, whatever happens, I'll do what I can to keep that from happening, okay?"

Draco smiled. "Thank you. I don't know why you bother, honestly, but thank you even so. I only hope I can return the favour someday."

It was only the blush that spread across Harry's cheeks that made Draco realize exactly how that sounded, but he did his best to remain nonchalant. "That too, if the occasion arises," he grinned.

"Draco…"

"I'm just saying…"

"Stop saying, and lie down and get some more sleep, or you'll be groggy when you take your test today."

Draco snuggled under the covers, reassured by the slight dip in the bed that Harry wasn't going anywhere just yet. He was asleep before he could think of any response.

◦♦☼♦◦

Kingsley came to pick them up shortly after nine. Draco sat in the front seat so they could talk on the way there.

"What's going to happen if you don't figure out which ones are doing this, Kingsley?"

"We will. Don't worry about it, Draco. We've got it all under control. We had Mister McMillan send around a new sheet, saying he'd lost the old one, but we coated it with something that'll let us know exactly who's touched it. We'll get them all today."

Draco nodded, but couldn't help but still worry. "What's going to happen to them?"

"They'll be placed under truth serum, and asked a few questions. Beyond that, they'll probably be sent back to Azkaban."

"But what if they were just doing it so they could pass? Not because they wanted to hurt anyone any more, but they just didn't want to be in Azkaban?"

"They'll be judged on a case-by case basis, all right?"

Draco nodded. "Thank you for telling me. I know you probably weren't supposed to."

Kingsley smiled. "Well, you've known almost as much in this case as those of us in the Ministry, so I figured a little more information wouldn't hurt."

Draco smiled. It was nice to be trusted, for once.

When they arrived at the testing centre, he was surprised to see that all the other Chrysalis subjects were there as well. The only time he'd seen them all together before was at the press conference when he'd learned Lucius had entered the program.

Pansy hurried up to him and flung her arms around him. "Draco! I've missed you so much," she squealed.

"Pansy, control yourself," he chided, trying very hard not to look at Harry. "What is everyone doing here?" he asked her quietly.

She shrugged. "Who knows? They said they had some silly extra test to administer before we sat for the written one today. I'm just glad I got to see you. It's been too long. And you completely ignored me last time we saw one another. I heard that Potter let Greg come for Christmas. Is that true?" Draco nodded. "Why couldn't I, then? I am your fiancée, after all…"

"Pansy, please…"

"Yes, do control yourself Parkinson. It's not as though you're not already engaged to my son. You hardly need to advertise the fact," Lucius drawled.

Pansy flushed and pulled away from Draco, and he couldn't help but feel relieved. He'd definitely have to find a way to make that up to him later. "Mister Malfoy. You're looking…"

"Young, I believe is the word," Lucius said with a less-than-pleasant smile.

She tittered, then backed off towards Andromeda when Kingsley and someone Draco didn't recognize approached.

"All right, if all of you could gather around me for a moment, we'll do this quick test, and then you can go in and finish the written." Some approached Kingsley a bit slower than others, but Draco knew that didn't mean much. He himself had only just started to like the man. He was rather intimidating, after all.

Once they were all directly in front of him, Kingsley waved his wand and cast a cloud of fog that engulfed them for a moment, then dissipated. Draco looked at him bemused, until he heard Pansy shriek behind him. "What have you done to me?" His heart sank, and he glanced at the Auror, who was already picking his way around their little group to grab Pansy.

Draco turned to see that her hands had gone violet. Something on the paper McMillan had used, he assumed. He glanced around, wondering who else's hands had changed colour, and was pleased to see that Greg looked completely normal. He smiled when his friend caught his eye, looking a bit worried, but Draco just shook his head. Draco glanced around to see who else would be taken, and noticed that both Nott and Daphne were rubbing their hands desperately, trying to remove the stain. There didn't seem to be any more, at which Draco was thoroughly grateful, but the fact that Pansy had been involved at all was a serious blow.

He moved to Kingsley's side. "You promise you'll question them fairly?"

"On my honour as an Auror, Draco, I promise I'll give your friends every chance."

Draco nodded, and watched as Theo, Pansy and Daphne were lead away. He had to remind himself it was their own fault for even trying something so ridiculous in the first place before he could convince himself to move into the testing rooms.

Kingsley was waiting when he came out of the test. Draco'd had a much tougher time of it this time because apparently they'd taken his idea to heart and made up new questions for the test. He'd still managed to maintain his O, though, and Lucius had managed an E. Even Greg had gotten an A, though the face of the person grading the tests had gone a bit strange when she'd noticed that everywhere it said "Muggle," Greg had replaced it with "Hermione" on his test sheet.

Hermione was thrilled, and after hugging Greg, she'd turned to Draco and hugged him too. "Thank you so much," she sobbed into his shoulder. "I was so worried they'd take him in…"

He patted at Hermione's shoulder. "I did it because he's my friend, Hermione. But it's nice to know I'm not the only one who cares about him." He smiled at his friend, who managed a ruddy flush, then pushed Hermione off towards him. "I've got to go, now. Congratulations, Greg."

Greg grinned back. "All because of you, Dray."

Draco nodded, and moved towards where Kingsley was speaking with Harry and Remus. They looked worried, and when Harry looked towards him, he had a feeling he knew why. "She's the one who started it, isn't she?" he asked. He'd known it was a possibility, but that didn't make it any easier to deal with.

"Draco," Harry said, "I'm sorry."

Draco laughed sourly. "Don't bother. She isn't worth it." Of course, it was one thing to say, quite another to believe. Draco just truly wished he could. Maybe then Harry would actually kiss him. Maybe then he'd actually deserve Harry's kiss.

It was a long ride home.