Fate and a Rose

DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter (and associated characters, likenesses, concepts, etc.) belongs to J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Publishing, Scholastic, Inc. AOL/Time Warner, Inc., among others. I make no claim, written or implied, upon Harry Potter. No money is being made and no infringement or disrespect to the creators / copyright holders is intended.

Warning: This story will contain slash (i.e. male/male relationships) and mpreg (but not until later). If you don't like these things, I'd advise you not to read this fic! Thanks!

A/N: I have read all of the HP books, and all of them are relevant to this fic in some way, but some of the things that have happened in HBP will not happen until later in this fic, so please acknowledge that.

This chapter is dedicated to CHAx2 for suggesting the title Discovery. (I don't know about all the chapters starting with 'D' or not, I hadn't even noticed I'd done it until you mentioned it. But now that you have, I think that's a wonderful idea! Thanks!)

Chapter Seven

Phase Three: Discovery

(The Second Prophesy)

Harry was the first one to wake up that morning, to the irritated squawk of Hedwig, who was flying around the room, being pursued by Draco's eagle owl. Harry sighed and tried to pull away from Draco, who tightened his grip around Harry's waist almost painfully.

"Draco," Harry croaked, his voice still sleep-laden. "Let go."

Draco mumbled something incoherent and pulled Harry even tighter against him. Harry rolled his eyes and pried Draco's hand, finger by finger, off of his body. When Harry was finally loose, Draco's eyes opened and he looked at Harry with an offended look on his face. "What was that for?" Draco asked.

"What was what for?" Harry asked, brow furrowed as he tried to catch a very cross Hedwig.

"You woke me up!" Draco accused.

"Not purposefully," Harry said in way of an apology, still following Hedwig with his eyes. "Make your damn owl stop chasing her! She has a letter for me!"

Draco blinked at Harry and Harry sighed exasperatedly. "Fine, I'll do it. But I won't be gentle."

With that, Harry caught Draco's owl by the leg and refused to let go, even though the owl was angrily pecking at his arm in a vain attempt to get free. Hedwig flew and perched on Harry's other extended hand, and when Harry was sure Hedwig would be safe from the eagle owl, he let Draco's owl loose and grabbed the letter from Hedwig. As he approached the window, he softly told Hedwig to come back in about half an hour and he might have another letter for her to deliver. With a quick apology to her, he let her out of the window, quickly shutting it behind her so that Draco's owl couldn't get her.

"You could have been nicer about it." Draco said, rubbing his eyes as he stepped from the bed and approached the table that was already set with breakfast for the both of them.

"I was nice," Harry said nonchalantly, unfolding the note he had received. "To my own owl."

Draco folded his arms across his chest and glared at Harry and Harry smiled. "I told you to make him stop chasing her." Sitting on the edge of the bed Draco had just left, Harry finished unfolding the note and read through it quickly.

Harry,

I'm sorry I can't come and give you the stuff you need. Don't worry, it's not because Hermione'll be there, or because she won't, but because I have other things I have to do. Lavender's promised to help me 'study' for an upcoming test in charms class. Maybe you can ask Hermione to bring some of your stuff? Well, I promise to come visit you soon. I hope you and Malfoy don't kill each other, but if you just so happened to hurt him in some way, just a little…'accident' you know, I wouldn't blame you. You won't believe some of the rumors that're going around!

Get Well Soon,

Ron

Harry sighed and re-folded the note. Tossing at the closest rubbish bin, he stood and joined Draco at the table. When the tapping at the window started, neither noticed. It was a rather cloudy day outside, and Harry just figured that it was raining. When the tapping not only persisted, but became pounding, Draco looked up. "Uh, your owl's at the window."

Harry looked up, and sure enough, there was Hedwig, another letter clutched in her beak. Harry's brow furrowed. When he opened the window, Hedwig refused to come in, and when Harry saw Draco's own owl perk up, he knew he'd better hurry to take the letter. "I don't have a reply for Ron yet, I don't think I will. But still, you come back in half an hour and I'll give you one for this one." He took the letter, then threw Hedwig a bit of bacon. This letter was from Hermione. Harry's brow furrowed further when he noticed how un-composed the handwriting was, compared to Hermione's normal, calculated, perfect handwriting. He quickly ripped the slightly tattered and tear-stained piece of parchment out of the envelope, and hastily read it.

Harry,

I would have gotten this to you sooner, but the castle owls refused to deliver within the premises, and I couldn't find Hedwig. For some reason, Hedwig delivered your letter to Ron to me first, and even though I knew I shouldn't, I read it. Sorry, but I knew he'd say no. He and Lavender are having some type of fling, I think he's trying to get me jealous. Anyways, I can bring you everything you need, just have Hedwig bring me a list of everything and I'll have it to you by tonight when I come and visit. I'll probably be visiting after dinner, so be ready, okay? There are a lot of nasty rumors going around about you and Draco, but don't worry. Not very many people know the truth, not even Ron. He asked me before I came over for a visit for the first time, and I told him that you were just sick with the flu. I'm sorry if you wanted for him to know, but you know he wouldn't have taken it very well, so it's for the best. I think Blaise and Pansy know, but they don't seem to have a problem with it. Well, at least Blaise doesn't. But I think Pansy's gotten over her little grudge against you. You know, she and Draco were engaged to be married since birth, their parents arranged for it when they were three. I'll tell you, some Wizarding customs are just weird. Anyway, don't ask how I know, we'll talk about that when I come and visit you guys. Oh, just look at how long this is. Sorry, sometimes I get carried away. We'll talk more about everything when I come up to visit, so I'll be seeing you soon.

Love you,

Hermione

Harry blinked twice, then looked at Draco, who was looking at him with a concerned look on his face. "Uh, do we have any extra parchment? I have to write back to this."

Draco nodded and got some parchment from the trunk at the foot of his still un-slept in bed, handing it along with a quill to Harry.

Hermione,

I'm glad you offered to bring me everything I need. Draco's already got his trunk, Blaise brought it up. I was sleeping when he did, though, so I don't know if he's got a problem with it or not. Anyway, I just think I'd rather have my whole trunk, if that's possible. That way I know you didn't accidentally forget anything. And could you check to make sure the invisibility cloak's in it?

Thanks,

Harry

Draco was looking over his shoulder as Harry wrote, and though it was unnerving, Harry hurriedly wrote the note, as he could see Hedwig approaching the window. She was earlier than Harry had expected, but she had always been like that, so it didn't really worry him. When she got to the window, Harry gave her the letter. As he watched Hedwig fly away again, this time towards Gryffindor Tower, Draco approached him from behind.

"They don't really have any problems with us, you know."

"You were engaged to Pansy." Harry said off handedly. It was more of a question than an accusation, but he knew that there had to have been some truth behind the words Hermione had written.

"Not because I wanted to be," Draco wrapped his arms around Harry's waist loosely and rested his head on Harry's shoulder, staring out the window with him. "My father was hell bent on me producing an heir, even after I was just born. He was convinced that if I wasn't engaged to someone then, I never would be. It was the most important thing in his life, I think. Besides serving…Voldemort, that is. It was the second most important thing, I guess."

Harry turned his face slightly so he could see Draco's face. "You should have told me."

Draco looked over and their eyes met. "We haven't really been doing much talking."

"Pansy's got to be a little upset." Harry said thoughtfully, looking away from Draco's eyes. They were too much to concentrate on at that moment. The clarity that shown in them, the crisp calculation, the love…

Harry's hand shot up instinctively to rub his scar, a habit he had developed sometime in fifth year. He didn't know what purpose it served, but when he did it, he could always think clearer, and it helped to relieve some stress and tension.

Draco pulled away with a sigh. "Of course she was upset when she found out. I guess she just decided to make the best out of a bad situation when we were in fifth year, and she sort of developed…a crush on me. We've always been friends, but I never would have been able to marry her. And Blaise says she's gotten over it."

Harry's eyes followed Draco as he made his way into the bathroom, lingering after him even after the door to the bathroom had clicked softly shut. Seating himself down at the table once again, he took a bite of sausage, just as the door to the bathroom was flung open. Harry, who had his back to the bathroom, grinned. "Wow, you didn't take nearly as long today. You're getting bet-"

"What the hell did you do to me?" Draco said, whipping Harry's chair around to face him and pointing to his forehead. His eyes were livid, his body tense.

Harry looked at the lightening-shaped scar on Draco's forehead in awe. "I…I didn't do anything!" Harry said defensively, mouth staying agape as he continued to stare at Draco's forehead.

"You had to of! I didn't bloody well do this to myself!"

"What do you think I did, try to kill you? You think you've survived the killing curse too, now? Is that it?" Harry asked, anger beginning to seep into his own voice.

"I didn't say that!" Draco snapped. "But you've done something to me!"

"What? What could I have possibly done to you? I don't even have my wand, I case you've forgotten! It's in my trunk!" Harry's eyes were flashing, and Draco's mouth dropped open as he stared into Harry's eyes. He tried to tear his gaze away, but he found that he couldn't. "What?" Harry asked, a slightly concerned tone seeping into his still angry voice. When Draco didn't answer, Harry became exasperated. "What the hell are you looking at?"

Draco shook his head. "Your…your eyes."

"Yeah, what about them?" Harry asked, anger seeping back in and taking the place of the concern he no longer felt.

"They've…changed colors."

Harry blinked, confused. "They tend to do that when I'm angry."

"No, it's different than that," Draco assured, looking deeply into Harry's eyes, searching for something. "They've changed to…grey."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "I…what?"

XXX

Madam Pomfrey burst into Albus' office later that same morning. After searching first his office, then the whole school, then the Great Hall where breakfast had been taking place and having no success in finding him, she had decided to go back to where she had started to wait for him. She was surprised to find Minerva McGonagall and Albus both in his office, Minerva looking pointedly at her, and Albus looking at her knowingly.

"Oh, thank goodness I've found you, Albus. It's about the boys."

Dumbledore's eyebrows raised considerably. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm afraid that…the prophesy is about who we expected for it to be about. It's about them." When she said nothing more, Albus looked at her questioningly. With a nod, she continued. "When I went into their rooms earlier this morning, Draco knocked over the glass of water on the night stand beside his…er, Harry's bed. They were both sleeping together." With a pause, Madam Pomfrey sat in the chair Albus conjured for her before continuing. "I fixed it, but for some reason, the drying charm wasn't working. I stepped closer to try again, when Draco moved his head so that it was facing me. He…he had Harry's scar."

Dumbledore's eyes widened. "Did Harry still have it, too?" Poppy nodded. "Has Harry inherited any traits from Draco?" Dumbledore asked, alarm ringing clearly in his voice. It was very seldom that anyone had two prophesies made about them.

"I don't know for sure. They were sleeping, as I've said. As soon as I saw the scar, I rushed to find you."

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "Do you think that they would be awake right now?"

Poppy thought back to the past few days and nodded. "They've always been awake at this time when I've gone in there."

Dumbledore stood, followed quickly by Minerva. Poppy glanced around the room, then followed suit. Dumbledore led the way to the old infirmary, with Poppy bringing up the rear.

Just as they stopped in the doorway to the hospital wing, they saw Draco's eyes widen. "What?" They heard Harry asked. "What the hell are you looking at?"

Draco shook his head. "Your…your eyes."

"Yeah, what about them?"

"They've…changed colors."

Minerva and Dumbledore made eye contact, their eyes widening, then turned back towards the scene unfolding before their very eyes.

"They tend to do that when I'm angry." Harry bit out sarcastically.

"No, it's different than that. They've changed to…grey."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. That was all the professors needed to hear. They all three stepped into the room at once, their fears come true. "Harry, calm down." Madam Pomfrey took control of the situation. "You boys have got to stop fighting! I swear, what are we going to do with you?" She walked over, patted Harry's cheeks, felt his forehead, then took a hold of his jaw and pulled his mouth open, peeking inside for who knows what. When she finished examining Harry, she turned around and did the same for Draco, her eyes lingering for a few moments longer than they should have on the newly formed scar on Draco's forehead.

When she was finished, she conjured up five plush red chairs and some tea and sandwiches. When everyone was seated comfortably with a cup of tea, Dumbledore began talking.

"Hello, boys. I'm sure you're wondering what we've come here for. Madam Pomfrey tells us that Draco has developed a new…blemish of sorts." Draco paled, then glared over at Harry, who had decided to sit as far away from Draco as possible. "Now, Draco, don't look so upset. This is actually a good thing. As we all know," Dumbledore motioned to everyone sitting in the makeshift circle with his hands. "Very seldom does one person have two prophesies made about himself." Harry's face became pallid. "But," Dumbledore continued. "Rare as it may be, it is the case here. Harry, you have had a second prophesy made about you. Not only is it about you," Dumbledore turned his gaze from Harry and it landed on Draco. "But Draco as well. By none other than Professor McGonagall, as a matter of fact." Dumbledore motioned to Minerva, who nodded and pulled out her very own Pensieve. Harry was surprised to find that there was more than one in the Wizarding world, but it only made sense, he supposed.

As had happened nearly two years before, though it seemed much longer than that to Harry, Dumbledore raised his wand to his head and pulled out a silvery string of thought. He dropped it in the Pensieve, and then prodded the silvery contents with the tip of his wand. As had happened those two years ago, a figure rose out of it, but this time it was not Sibyll Trelawney that was revolving around as she spoke, but a tired looking Minerva McGonagall. Her voice was raspy, it seemed as though she was having trouble forming words. Her speech was jerky, as if it was forced from her, and it seemed as though she was skipping over words and phrases here and there.

"Two are to be born; two who will have more power than even we can comprehend…when of age, they will have the ability to inherit each other's magical and physical trademarks…together, a dark force will be brought down by their hands…Two will have more power than even we can comprehend."

As the figure slowly twirled back into the Pensieve, Harry could feel his breath whooshing out. He hadn't even realized that he had been holding it. He and Draco's eyes met, and Harry shuddered. Draco's eyes were sparkling, not with hatred, which Harry felt would have been easier to deal with, but with fear. Harry realized that he had dragged Draco, who was very unwilling, into his life, and now he was to suffer the consequences. No matter how many emotions Harry felt for Draco, he would never be able to completely protect him. Draco was a stubborn arse when it came to him getting his way, and no matter what excuse Harry used, Draco would insist that he could protect himself. "Draco, I…I'm sorry." He apologized, and Draco's eyes widened, then narrowed.

"Sorry for what? Harry, it's not your fault that we're soul mates!"

Dumbledore nodded slowly in agreement. "That's right, Harry. Fate has brought you together, and together you will bring Voldemort down."

Harry glared at Dumbledore. "No," He said defiantly. "I refuse to bring Draco into this. It's my job, and I have to do it alone!"

"Harry, once the bond is completed-"

"I don't care! Draco will not be sacrificed because of my destiny!"

Dumbledore sighed and rubbed his eyelids tiredly. Draco glared back and forth between them and rudely interrupted. "Who says it's up to you, Harry?"

"You won't! You can't! I refuse to let you!"

"It's not up to you, Harry." Dumbledore softly seconded Draco's accusations. "You can't stop this from happening. It's going to one way or another, and it'd be best if you just let it happen easily. It will take a lot out of you if you're not allowing it to happen right, and then when the time comes for you both to defeat Voldemort, you won't be ready." Harry glared at him.

"You can't take his side!" Harry replied weakly with a hot glare.

"I'm not taking sides, Harry. I'm merely implying that you can't stop it, and therefore should let it happen as it happens."

"I don't want to! I don't want…I don't want Draco to get hurt." Harry averted his stare to his suddenly very interesting feet, and refused to look up at everyone in the room, who he was sure were staring at him.

The next thing he knew, he was looking into grey eyes. His brow furrowed in confusion as Draco looked up at him from his kneeling position on the floor, his hands on Harry's knees. "Look, Harry. I won't get hurt. I wouldn't let it happen, and you wouldn't let it happen, so don't worry about it happening. Okay?"

Harry shook his head and sighed. "I can't help it. I just…Draco, I-"

"Uh, hi, guys." Hermione had come into he former infirmary to one of the weirdest sights she had seen in her life (and that was saying something, because she had been there in the Department of Mysteries). The teachers were all staring intently at the couple, and Draco was on his knee as if he was proposing.

Ugh, I knew I shouldn't have come early. She thought to herself with a sigh. "I'll just…uh, I'll come back later."

Harry leapt to his feet. "NO!" He shouted, surprising everyone in the room. Rubbing the back of his neck embarrassedly, he grinned. "I mean, uh…stay, we were pretty much finished here."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement and stood, vanishing the chair he had been seated in. Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey followed suit, and Professor McGonagall secretly tucked away the Pensieve while Hermione was occupied with Harry. "I'll be back tomorrow, boys. Harry, you be sure to remember what we've talked about. Just let it happen." Madam Pomfrey said and smiled softly and patted Harry on the shoulder, before following Albus and Minerva out of the room and leaving the trio alone.

Harry refused to meet Draco's insistent gaze, instead choosing to look at an imaginary speck on Hermione's shoulder.

"So, uh…what was that about?" Hermione asked, sitting on a vacant bed and pulling a tiny rectangle-shaped box out of her robes pocket, which was immediately enlarged, and turned out to be Harry's trunk.

Harry shrugged and once more avoided Draco's death glare by walking over to the trunk that had landed at the foot of the wrong bed, and pushing it over to the right one. Draco sighed and rolled his eyes, sitting on the vacant bed beside Hermione and stating, "Potter's afraid."

Harry glared at Draco and busied himself by burring his face in his trunk, searching for his Invisibility Cloak. "Am not!" He denied. After a while of rummaging without product, Harry withdrew from the trunk and looked to Hermione. "Where's the cloak?"

"You are not sneaking off in the middle of the night, Harry! I'm keeping it." Harry pulled a face, and Hermione grinned. Her grin made the blow of her next words softer. "Oh, don't you give me that face, young man! I put it where no one would ever think of looking," At Harry's hopeful face, Hermione continued. "Even you. Besides, even if you figured out where was, you wouldn't be able to get to it; it's in the girls' dorm."

Harry sulked in defeat, then went back to rummaging in his trunk. Draco seemed interested. "Why can't Harry get into the girls' dormitory?" He asked.

Hermione shot him a weird look, then said, "Have you ever tried to get into the girls' dormitory in your own house?"

Draco nodded. "Multiple times. I don't see what the problem is, though."

"There's a charm on the steps to the girls' dorm in Gryffindor that won't allow boys in. They turn into a slide. You mean there isn't any charm that keeps you out of the girls' dorm in Slytherin?"

Draco shook his head and tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Figures," He said finally. "Gryffindors are bloody sneaks. Slytherins are much more…reliable." With a grin, he pulled himself off of the bed and started digging through his own trunk. At Hermione's questioning gaze, he shrugged and grinned even wider.

"Then we can just agree to disagree," Harry stated, finally pulling his head out of his trunk. Draco's eyes widened when he saw brown legs poking out of Harry's mouth, twitching slightly, only to be pulled in by Harry's tongue moments later. "Chocolate Frog," Harry said off handedly. "Anyways, Gryffindors are too reliable. We can't help it if we have a sturdy sex drive."

Draco snorted. "Ha, sturdy."

Hermione giggled softly. "Hey, Harry, you got any more of those?" Harry tossed her a couple of packages of chocolate frogs, then began digging in the trunk again.

"Ah, there it is!" He exclaimed, retracting his wand from the other rubbish in the trunk with a smirk. Hermione unwrapped a Chocolate Frog and was about to toss it in her mouth, when it hopped away and landed with a 'splat' on Draco's lap. Draco made a disgusted face, then began complaining.

"These clothes cost a small fortune! They'll never get clean again!" Standing, he began rubbing in vain at the dark smudge on his leg as the chocolate began to stain.

"You know, you're not making it any better." Hermione scolded as she cast a cleaning charm and got up to catch her Chocolate Frog.

Draco glared at her, rubbing the no longer stained bit of clothing. "I could have done that."

Hermione smirked. "When, while you were rubbing franticly at it and making it worse?"

"Shut up…"

Hermione's smirk turned into a full-blown smile as she chewed the Chocolate Frog thoughtfully. "Hey, Harry?"

"Hmm?" Harry was still rummaging around in his trunk, wand tucked safely in the back pocket of the jeans he had changed into while Draco and Hermione had been bickering. "Uh, you said something about a sturdy sex drive?" Harry flushed as Hermione continued. Anyone who thought Hermione was an innocent bookworm obviously didn't know Hermione like Harry knew Hermione. "Ron didn't have one. As I remember, he was vulnerable to pre-ejaculation."

Harry's eyes widened. "Hermione! That was definitely not something I wanted to know about my best friend!"

Hermione smirked, and Harry glared at her. "Besides, maybe that was just Ron!"

"Yes," Draco agreed, eyeing one of the abandoned Chocolate Frog packages on the bed Hermione had previously vacated longingly. "Harry has a very 'sturdy' sex drive. I know from experience."

Harry growled under his breath and buried his face in his trunk yet again, this time flushing in embarrassment. Hermione, on the other hand, looked intrigued. "You've done it?"

"That depends," Draco said, reaching over and snatching Hermione's Chocolate Frog while she was occupied with ogling Harry's bum thoughtfully. "On what you mean by 'done it'."

Hermione's jaw dropped open, and Draco laughed loudly as he swallowed the Chocolate Frog and licked his lips.