Okay guys, I'd like to start this chapter off with something I find way too coincidental to be some scary fluke.
So I was watching this movie that came on my tele awhile ago, and I only caught the last half hour of it, but I thought, oh what the hell, it looks pretty scary, and I love scary movies (even though this is like, pre-90s). So anyway, to get past all this trivial stuff I'm saying, the movie was entitled "Troll", and I've done some digging, it was made in 1986. But that's not the frighteningly coincidental part of it(being as how she wrote the story set in 1992). I've found some rather shocking parallels between JKR's stories and this film. Okay, the main character in this film is named- get this, -Harry Potter Jr., his father being Harry Potter. Now, as if this was not coincidental enough, I find out that the film is all about magic and creatures from another sort of 'world'( i.e. 'Wizarding World'), who still like live in harmony with humans. Well, of course, this Harry Potter Jr. has to save his little sister from this evil thing(or the wizarding-world from Voldemort, see the parallels?), and well, geez, i dunno, it just completely weirded me out for a few days. Go and see for yourself.
Okay, enough to have freaked you all out with my scary(not haha scary) findings. Here's your much awaited, very long chappie!
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Chapter 14- A Perfect Storm
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Harry awoke early the next morning with a feeling of dread in his stomach. It was Saturday. The day that Voldemort's new initiations were to take place. And here he was, laying in bed, unable to (safely) communicate with the Dractnox, and feeling utterly, utterly useless.
And it was all because he didn't listen to Dumbledore. He knew he shouldn't have spoken with the Dractnox, but his curiosity had gotten the best of him. He could've just asked Snape what had happened to his arm instead of questioning it, although it was more than likely that he would've received a reprimand for it. But that would've been nothing compared to what he'd gone through now.
And now he owed Snape his life. He knew that fact all too well. And it wasn't the first time that the Potions master had saved his life, either. He wouldn't be there, in that room, in that bed, in Hogwarts if it wasn't for Snape. The very skills and abilities that Snape was trying to refine and teach him had saved his life.
He realized that he hadn't been as keen on them as he should have, and that he had been taking them for granted for too long.
Things would be different starting now.
He could see that from the start. He really didn't have any time to putter around and not take things seriously. This was life. His life. And the seriousness of it was made all too clear from the very moment the Potions master had made himself present inside Harry's mind. There wouldn't always be someone like Snape to save Harry when he screwed up. And he couldn't allow a repeat of what had occurred to happen again.
That was why today, things were going to change. He was going to put childish rivalries and worries behind him. That didn't mean that he would stop participating in the things he loved, like Quidditch, for example, but that he would be on top of things from now on. He couldn't afford to not do so.
And what about what he was doing to the people he loved? Surely Ron and Hermione had already been through more than enough as consequence of being his friends? They didn't deserve to go through any more of this madness. And Godric only knew what they were feeling now. They thought that he would be back with them now, in Gryffindor Tower. And where was he? His second home, the hospital wing. If he didn't cause them early death through stress and worry, he'd be very, very surprised.
//I should get out of here. I feel okay. And I'm sure not going to try to speak with -them- again for awhile// He glared at a Dractnox in a way that would rival Snape himself. It took no notice of his death glare and continued on its way right through the brick wall. //Yeah, that's what I thought//
He sat up fully and decided to inspect the momentos and get-well stuff on his nightstand, something that he hadn't gotten a chance to do yet. It would give him time to think before he acted, an interesting theory in his opinion. //And I have a lot to do. I need to talk with Dumbledore. And especially Ron and Hermione...And probably Snape too. I owe him...big...// There was an incredible amount of chocolate wrappers amid the stuff on the stand (accredited to Ron, of course) along with Every-Flavor Beans and an out-of-place brown paper bag. //Malfoy's bag! Oh Gods! how could I have forgotten it?!//
The dirty paper parcel was there, sitting insignificantly amidst the candies and such. He practically flew to get at it, his curiosity flaring up like some uncontrollable fire. What in the world would Malfoy ever leave -him-? Especially when he had thought that Harry didn't know it was he who stuck it there, and after a grand-scale apology on his part, too.
//But surely he doesn't think that now, after all this time, the potion he slipped me is just now having it's effects? But what else could he be talking about?//
Harry looked at the bag, so unimportant in it's drab coloring. He wanted to shred it open, tear the paper to bits, but he wasn't quite sure what it would contain. The bag itself was terrifyingly uncharacteristic of Malfoy parcels. What if it should it be some sort of trap?
//But what if it isn't? He meant what he said...I know it//
Harry decided to throw caution to the wind. He'd be damned if this thing was going to blow up in his face on the very day he'd decided to turn everything around. And if Malfoy really did want to hurt Harry, he would have done it the very same night he'd left the bag.
//Oh Merlin please don't let this be a mistake...//
Gingerly unfolding the edges of the brown paper, Harry awaited some sort of explosion, or poison gas, or something else nasty that the wizarding world had to graciously offer.
Nothing happened.
Harry looked inside the bag to see something shiny. He cautiously put his hand in and pulled out a long, smooth piece of metal.
//What is this?//
He twirled it around in his hand and examined it. There didn't seem to be anything great about it. Not in the least bit magical. Why did Malfoy give him something that looked like his aunt's good silver?
Harry furrowed his brow and put it back into it's bag, depositing it safely on the nightstand. He could see Dumbledore about it later. //I would have been able to ask the Dractnox...// Harry frowned. Those things hadn't made his life as easy as he had originally thought they would. And what had he gotten for knowing about them? Right now, they just led from one big headache to another.
//And what remedy is there for this? Gaah! I wish they had never come to me!//
Harry swung his legs decidedly over the bed and searched for his robes. He wanted out of the wing and he wanted out right now. It was early enough that no one would be up and about yet, so he could escape outside for some time alone to think. He needed fresh air and solitude to mull things over. What help was he to Dumbledore now in the fight against Voldemort? The initiation was today, and he hadn't been able to stop anything, or even at least hinder what was going to happen. They knew where the place was at least, but what had they done to stop anything? Unless there had been plans made when Harry was asleep, there was nothing done to stop Voldemort from taking new members -Harry's peers, friends- into his ranks. Dumbledore had told Harry that those reluctant to join would die. Did that mean that next week Hogwarts would be a little less full of students? Harry couldn't live with that on his conscious.
Finding his clothes pressed and cleaned he put them on and stood up quietly so he could sneak out of the wing for a bit. //I'll be back before anyone is even up. I won't be missed// He didn't want to worry Madam Pomfrey, or cause any panic. Things were as bad as they needed to be already.
Harry was quietly making up his bed and getting ready to leave some sort of note for Madam Pomfrey when he heard the hospital doors open very quietly. He thought for sure that he'd be facing a very surprised, and rather irate, Medi-witch, but instead a platinum head slowly made it's way inside. Harry froze in his place, surprised.
Malfoy.
He hadn't expected to be seeing him so soon. At least not the first thing today, and so early in the day too.
He watched as Malfoy slowly entered and quietly shut the doors, not noticing Harry was presently standing and watching him. Harry quickly checked his bed once to make sure that he wasn't lying there, as an illusion like before, and that Malfoy was just unobservant. The sudden intake of breath from Draco told Harry otherwise.
They both stared at each other; Draco going paler than his already pallid complexion, and Harry studying him with inquiring eyes. Neither moved but just watched the other, not knowing what to expect or think.
"Potter..." Draco uttered under his breath with a sort of relief. The quiet echo from his voice and the breathing of each boy was the only noise in the room.
"Draco..." Harry used his first name, beginning the changes he decided would take place in his life. As far as he was concerned, the name 'Malfoy' held a certain connotation, a sort of history, that he did not wish associated with when speaking Draco's name. That, and addressing him as 'Malfoy' was something that he did when he considered Draco an enemy. He was putting it behind him.
"You're awake..."
"I am."
Neither moved from their respective spots, and both were still whispering. The cold of the morning was still upon the air, and Harry could feel it creeping up upon them, enclosing them with a sort of privacy in which to speak, although neither really seemed to know what to say to one another except short two-word sentences. Malfoy chose to break that rule for single words.
"Alright?"
"Good and healthy." Harry walked around from one side of the bed to the other, as if proving this. He sat down determinedly facing Malfoy. He wasn't going anywhere, not until they had discussed a few things. So they stayed like that for awhile, simply looking at one another, barely moving in the silence. Harry could see in Draco's eyes the whirling of too many emotions. He was wondering just exactly what Draco was there for, taking into consideration everything he knew, including the brown paper bag sitting so very close to him. But his considerations were cut short as Draco finally decided to break the silence.
"Everyone thinks you're dying..."
"Well, if you've come to see if it's true, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed..."
Rather than the expected anger or hostility, Harry's statement was greeted with one of the most pained expressions he'd ever seen. With a heavy heart, Malfoy started to confess his guilty conscious to Harry, something he'd tried to do once before, and something he had to do right here and now or die from guilt.
"I'm so sorry...It shouldn't have happened to you, I know...it's all my fault for what's been happening to you! I shouldn't have gone along with any of it! It's all gone too far!" His voice started to waver terribly and Harry did the only thing he could think of doing. He got up from where he was standing and walked over to Draco. He held his hand out in front of him to shake that of the other boy. Draco looked at it but didn't shake. "I don't deserve your hand! I've done so much crap to you! It was me who poisoned you with that potion-!"
"I'm fully aware of what you've done, and I'm offering you friendship." Harry took the trembling hand of the other boy and grasped it firmly in his. "The past is past, and things need to change. Now."
"But what I've done-"
"Is past."
"N-no..." Draco said. "It's not. I-I gave something to Voldemort. Something very powerful...dangerous..."
Harry frowned. Whatever that glassy thing Voldemort had had in Harry's vision must've been the thing Draco had given him. It seemed pretty powerful, but how had he acquired such an item?
"What 'thing'?!" Harry was gripping Draco's hand hard without realizing it. The other boy let go.
"I didn't give all of it to him...None of this should have happened...You were right..."
"All of what?" A sudden light bulb went on inside Harry's head and he quickly went over to his bedstand table and wrenched the paper bag off it. "Is this the other piece?!"
"How did you know...I..."
"I know a lot of things now. Why did you give this to me?" He pulled out the piece of metal from inside.
"It's...I...I don't know..."
The air around them felt suffocating to Harry. They needed to talk somewhere else.
"We should go and see Dumbledore about this..." Draco nodded and Harry put the metal back into it's bag. He quickly scribbled a note and left it on his pillow for Madam Pomfrey to find. "Let's go. There are a lot of things that need to be discussed." He headed for the hospital doors carrying the paper bag, with a reluctant Draco Malfoy following him down silent, deserted corridors.
It was like some sort of crazy world of opposites. Never in his life did Harry think he and Draco could put things behind them, but there were bigger things in life than the two of them and their rivalries. This proved things.
"We need to tell Dumbledore everything, you know?" Harry asked Malfoy.
"Yes...I just...I can't believe the things I've done..."
Harry stayed silent. In reality, they really weren't that different. Maybe different in some ways, like blood or family, but they were very alike. If not for the very first time they met, Harry would probably be in Slytherin right alongside Malfoy. It had never occurred to him that they could be so very similar in certain manners. If he had been in Slytherin, who was to say what kind of things he would be doing, or what kinds of friends he would have fallen in with. He knew that he had many inborn Slytherin qualities about him, that was for sure. He was a parseltongue and he knew he broke more than enough rules to last him a while, and what wouldn't he be willing to do to stop Voldemort? He was willing to give almost anything to stop that evil snake and avenge the parents that he had never even known. All the years of pain-filled memories living with his aunt and uncle could have been spent with parents who loved him. He would go to almost any length to stop Voldemort, and wasn't that a rather Slytherin characteristic in itself?
"We're here..." Harry stated outside of the stone statue that led to Dumbledore's office.
"Isn't it too early?" Draco asked with trepidation. He was shaking slightly, and Harry was sure it was not from the chill of the morning air.
He grabbed Draco's arm and gave it an encouraging squeeze. "There's only one way to find out."
Harry muttered some muggle confection under his breath and the statue started to move, spiraling upwards. He and Draco jumped on and awaited the top of the stairs, Draco's stomach filling with dread.
"You know, I've put our differences aside, and I don't think Dumbledore will begrudge you the same treatment..."
With that statement, Draco seemed to regain some of his composure and re-established whatever bit of confidence he had left in himself. He knew he didn't deserve such civil treatment, and more than anything, he felt he ought to be kicked out of Hogwarts for what he had done. He knew after what he was about to do, there was no way he could return home to his father, no turning back. The sheer fact that he didn't follow in his father's footsteps and deceived the Dark Lord was sure to earn him a very painful death, if he was lucky. After the last few weeks since he had poisoned Harry, or at least believed he had poisoned him, things had changed and flip-flopped so much that Draco was utterly confused and didn't know where he stood anymore. Since the night his father had come to pick him up, Harry's words had stuck with him: he didn't have to live up to what everyone else expected of him. Being one of the first to see the Dark Lord before the actual initiation was to take place, he had immediately revolted against his entire creed. That man who seemed to be so great in his father's eyes, that inexplicably revolting creature that Tom Riddle had become, was not the man that Draco had expected to become a loyal follower of. He realized that this...man...whom the very boy next to him had defeated so many times before, was an abomination. If whatever rubbish Draco had been fed as a child turned out to now be untrue, then what next? Muggles having actual magical capabilities? His whole world was turned upside down, and he couldn't find a foothold anywhere save here. Harry was able to put it all behind him, but what if he couldn't? The guilt inside of him was eating away at his soul, and the pain he was experiencing at the whole reality of it wounded him far worse than anything the Dark Lord could do.
"Do you think he's up?"
Harry put his head to the door, and heard voices inside. He pegged one of the voices as Dumbledore's own, but was unsure of the second voice. "He's up, but there's someone else in there with him. I'm not sure who..." The voices stopped suddenly and Harry pressed his ear harder against the door. It surprised him to find that Draco was doing the same thing.
"Hear anything?"
"N-!"
The door opened suddenly and both boys fell on their backs into the room. Harry was rubbing his head, with Draco doing the same, laying upon the floor when he took notice of Snape looking down on them from above. He had both an annoyed and surprised look upon his face at finding Harry up and about, and both boys at the foot of the door. It had been he who had let them literally drop in. "Professor Snape?"
Draco suddenly went rigid at the mention of his head-of-house. He looked into the infuriated face of Snape and cast his eyes down, which was a hard task being as how they were both currently laying on the floor. His eyes caught the robes of their Headmaster, and out of both curiosity and fear, he looked into the old man's face. What he found was not anger, but sheer amusement. Apparently Dumbledore found the situation very funny.
"Nice to see you up and about, my boy," he said to Harry. "Is there something I can do for you two?" The mirth in his voice took Draco completely by surprise. He was expecting a reprimand of some sort, a scolding, or anything really, but not this. What he got from Snape, however, was quite the contrary. The Potions Master had a rather pissed off look set upon his face for, number one, the finding of one of his house sneaking around outside the Headmaster's door, and two, the fact that he and Harry were apparently together in this. Since when had Potter and Malfoy become friends? Slytherin associating with Gryffindor...how humiliating.
"Sorry Professor Dumbledore," Harry said getting up and brushing himself off. He helped Malfoy pick himself up and they both stood next to one another in a sort of huff. Both Dumbledore and Snape were taken aback by the boys' complaisance to one another. "We had to see you."
Dumbledore motioned them inside and Snape shut the door. "What brings you up here so early on a Saturday morning?"
"The day itself, sir, as a matter of fact."
Dumbledore knew what Harry meant, but wasn't sure what to make of Draco Malfoy being with him. He wasn't sure if it was safe to be discussing such matters in front of a future death eater. Severus' life may be put into jeopardy by discussing it. It wasn't safe.
"Whatever do you mean, my boy?"
Harry looked at Draco, not exactly knowing where to begin. "Sir...what...happened to me by the lake a few days ago, and everything else," he unconsciously looked at Snape. "Well, it's hard to explain, but we think we may have an explanation..." Harry looked at Draco for help. The boy complied, but not without difficulty.
"I...I've done something...incredibly..." Draco's voice started to choke up. He couldn't say such things in front of Snape. He knew the man to be one of the Death Eaters in Voldemort's innermost circle, and admitting what he had done right in front of him would be committing suicide.
"Go on, my boy. You're among friends." Dumbledore's gentle voice did hardly nothing to stop what Draco was feeling. The things that could happen to him, would happen to him, if he told were too close for comfort.
"Professor...I..." He looked to Snape who was waiting patiently for the boy to say what he had to say. But Draco could not bring himself to it. Didn't Dumbledore realize that he had a Death Eater in his midst? He moved closer to Harry and whispered something in his ear much to the disgrace of Snape. This kind of behavior from a Slytherin was totally humiliating.
"Umm...Sir, I think Draco needs a bit of...reassurance. He...He doesn't understand that Professor Snape...uh..." Harry was at a real loss for words, and the death glare, inquisitive in the least, he was getting from Snape didn't seem to help matters. "Sir...I...It has to do with Voldemort..." Harry looked at Snape after saying this, hoping that Dumbledore would catch his drift.
"Ah. I see. Well, Draco my boy, you are in good hands, and as I've said before, among friends. You have nothing to fear here." Dumbledore smiled warmly at Draco and summoned two plush chairs for the boys to sit in. "Please, have a seat."
The boys did as told, but Draco still didn't feel like committing his betrayal right in front of one of Voldemort's most loyal supporters. To think that Dumbledore and Harry didn't even realize it! Despite Dumbledore's reassurances, he still felt like he was playing a deadly game of sorts.
"I-..."
"Oh come out with it boy!" Snape cried out. He didn't like being the subject of secretive discussions at any rate, and he felt he'd rather teach a class full of Longbottoms than to take any more of this suspense.
"No one here will do you any harm, lad."
"It's fine, Draco," Harry said to him quietly. Draco gave his head of house a look of distrust, and Snape hit him back with one of even more malice. Harry leaned over conspiratorially to Draco and whispered in his ear. "He's not who you think he is. It's safe to speak. I give you my word." He leaned back into his chair and waited to see if the other boy believed enough to speak.
With a hard look, Draco murmured something under his breath.
"Speak up, Mr. Malfoy!" Snape's hard voice didn't encourage Draco really, but it was out of fear that he spoke suddenly spoke up.
"I said that...what I've done...it's unforgivable...I-I gave a...a..."
"Yes, Draco?" Dumbledore inquired. The kind-heartedness of the old wizard's voice made Draco feel terrible. How could he betray such a kind voice? How could he bear to tell the old man that he'd given Voldemort one of the most powerful weapons known to wizard-kind?
"Igafawheapintofoldemortsir."
"Slow down, my boy. What was that?"
"I gave Voldemort a...a weapon..."
"What do you mean? What weapon?"
Harry reached behind him into the paper bag which he'd brought in with him."This is part of it, sir." He pulled the shiny metal out of the bag and balanced it on his hand in front of Dumbledore.
Snape walked over to Harry and held out his hand. "Hand it to me, Potter." Harry handed the metal over to Snape, who examined it before handing it to Dumbledore.
"Are you aware of what this is, my boy?"
"Yes...It's a part of the Omnivieve Glass..."
"Where did you get it, Draco?" Snape's voice cut through Draco like ice. He crossed the room back to stand near Draco, imposing his dark form in front of the boy.
Never before had Draco been more scared of his head of house, and now he was sure to receive his payment. "I took it from the original...I didn't give the whole thing to him. I didn't want him to use it to harm more people." He expected his death to come swiftly from the man in front of him. A quick Avada Kadabra if he was at all merciless to one of his own house. But nothing happened. He lifted his eyes to those of the man in front of him, only to see relief and pride shining from those dark orbs. Snape actually seemed proud of him for nicking the metal from Voldemort.
"How did you come upon the Omnivieve Glass, Draco?" Dumbledore leaned forward interestedly and looked Draco square in the eyes. Obviously, Dumbledore knew a lot about whatever this thing was. But where Draco had received it was another story.
"I got it from my father..." Snape gave a snort. He looked hardly surprised at this. "He was cleaning out the stores beneath our house.." Snape stiffened at wondering what else was hidden beneath the Malfoy mansion. Draco thought he would surely face the innermost circle of hell for betraying his father, but he continued anyway. "It's been there for countless generations. It's the way I got the...the bottle that..." Draco cleared his throat. He couldn't bring himself to say 'poisoned'. Harry had already forgiven and forgotten, but he couldn't put these things behind him. How could he live with himself now? "...My father gave me the Glass to present to the Dark Lord when I was to be accepted into the circle. Sons are always received before other recruits, and he wanted me to make a good impression..." He cleared his throat once more, and Dumbledore offered him a glass of water.
"Please, go on."
Harry patted his arm encouragingly. It felt so weird to be 'friends' with an enemy. Draco didn't know what to really make of it, but he knew that things were going to be different from now on, and he didn't know what that would mean to his life.
"Well, I went with my father to the Dark Revel. I was really nervous..." He looked at the Potions Master with shame in his eyes. "...and excited. I approached him for the first time. He took each one of us alone into a room. Some wouldn't come out, and...I was scared." That was an understatement. Frightened beyond death is better. "It was my turn, and I told him I had a gift from my father. I removed it from my coat and gave it to him, only the glass part. I had planned to give it to him in it's two pieces, but seeing him...being there...looking him in those red eyes. I...I kept it."
Snape's eyes flickered to Dumbledore's. They both knew it took some balls to do what Draco had done. If possible, Snape's eyes held a sort of prideful quality to them.
"He didn't even notice, but he was really excited to get just the glass piece. I-I even thought that he might hug me." Draco laughed nervously here even though he was slightly perspiring. The seriousness that overtook the Headmaster's eyes compelled Draco to continue. He wanted his betrayal to be done and over with. "He dismissed me after that. Said I'd see him soon after if the thing worked properly. He made everyone leave after that." He gulped down his water quickly and sat still in his chair waiting for what cards Fate would deal him.
Luckily for him, Dumbledore was a forgiving man.
"What you have done, Draco, is give a very old piece of magic to our Tom Riddle. You see, the Omnivieve Glass was made long ago, before the time of your Salazar Slytherin as a matter of fact." The old man's voice carried the same note as would one who is trying to explain why fire burns to a young child. "The Glass was made to ward off bad magic, in order to protect muggles. Magic was rampant long ago and there was nowhere near as much order then as there is today. It was meant to do away with all evil and everything touched by it. It was meant as a weapon of good in those dark times. But now, Voldemort is trying to use it against it's original purpose. He is attempting to rid the world of all those who oppose him. He used it incorrectly, of course, so it backlashed against him and all those connected to him through his evil ways. He is trying to corrupt it to his own purposes, but it was never meant as an instrument of destruction. And without this vital piece," he held up the silver metal, "he cannot do any evil with it. It will only continue to backlash against him and those connected to him. Unfortunately, that also means ex-Death Eaters. That is why the Omnivieve Glass cannot be used as a weapon, for either the forces of light or dark. It would only serve to do more harm than good. Using it to destroy those connected to him would only result in useless death, many of whom do not deserve such a thing." At this he winked at Harry, who grew progressively pale. So that was what had happened to him. He was feeling the power of the Glass against himself, getting a little taste of death.
"S-sir? How does he control it? Can't it be taken from him?" Harry was a little more than worried by all this. If Voldemort didn't catch on and used the thing to the extreme, wouldn't it result in his death also?
"Fortunate you asked that, Harry. Voldemort is only capable of controlling the Omnivieve Glass as long as he has it on his person. He controls it with his blood. That's the only way for a person to control it. The wizard and the Glass must become as one, but if the blood becomes washed off, or the Glass is broken, then his hold is broken as well. But since he doesn't even have the second part, here, then you don't have to worry about it as much."
Harry was disquieted by this piece of information. The only way to stop Voldemort from using this thing was to retrieve it from him, and it seemed like that wouldn't be happening anytime soon. And if he found out the second piece was being held at Hogwarts, then he would come after it. No matter what way Harry looked at it, he was screwed.
"What about tonight, sir? What will be done tonight?" Harry knew that this was the night that new recruits would be accepted into the circle, and he knew that it meant death for others. Had they even planned anything while he was out? So much had happened in this little space of time, he couldn't be sure.
"Tonight?" Draco asked.
Harry looked at Draco critically, who understood from his eyes what 'tonight' meant.
"There isn't going to be a Revel tonight..." Draco said objectively.
"And how are you so sure of that?" Snape's frigid voice demanded of him.
"Because father said that He was too busy with the Glass to bother with anyone else at the moment..."
Snape cocked his head toward Dumbledore in acknowledgment of Draco's statement. He, too, knew that there would be no meeting this evening due to his experimentation with the glass. Years of service to Voldemort didn't teach him to have to be told to know that.
"And how can you be sure that the Dark Lord does not know that a piece to his new toy is missing, Mr. Malfoy, and that he isn't planning to come looking for your father or you?"
"Because when father gave it to me, it was inside an old oak box. I believe he knew what was in there, but I think other than myself or him, Voldemort does not know that there is a piece missing. And my father is not so stupid as to go and announce such a fact to Him."
Although he did not say anything, it could be told that Snape seemed pleased with Draco's answer. The boy was not as foolish as he had apparently thought.
With the sweet song of the phoenix bird that Dumbledore kept in his office, the four realized that the sun had long since risen into the air and that the morning had begun without them.
"My, my how time flies when you're having fun!" Dumbledore said bringing a sort of finality to the subject. Count on Dumbledore to make the most cheerful thing out of the most dire conversations. "I think we've all worked up a substantial appetite with all this talk, and I do believe that a hearty breakfast is in order." Dumbledore looked at the two boys with he utmost seriousness in his eyes as they got up from their chairs.
"Yes, sir." Harry said. Draco followed him out of the office and onto the stairwell where they were finally left alone to their thoughts. "You realize that none of this can be discussed outside of his office..."
"I'm not a dolt, Potter." Harry smiled at Draco as they descended the stairs. He wasn't about to start calling Harry by his first name, but it was all for the better. If they started acting all buddy-buddy, people might realize something was up.
Reaching the bottom steps, Draco panicked and stopped. He felt like the word 'betrayer' was written all over him. His Slytherin brethren would eat him alive "I don't think I can do this..."
"Yes, you can. Things are different know, but you can adjust." Harry started to walk down the stairwell, and felt Draco grip his shoulder from behind. He turned his head back to look at Draco. For such a cocky little prat, he was really just like any other scared kid. "You can do it. It's the first step towards your freedom." He let Draco hold onto him as they exited the stairs and stood in front of the statue. "You know, you can let go of me now..."
Draco realized he was still gripping him, rather hard, on the shoulder. Some part of his old self was saying to him 'eww...I have Potter cooties'. He removed his hand, but only a second too late.
Almost instantaneously, a curse impacted his body.
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Well, I can only hope that that chapter pleased you. It was a real bitch to write,what with All Hallows Eve and such. I was a pirate wench:) I got 12lbs of candy! Ha ha! This was the best haul yet! It's all straight to thighs-ville! You're never too old to trick or treat! :) But anyways, what do you guys think about my Malfoy? For this story, I know my Malfoy is pretty OOC, and i really hope that it doesn't eff it up, but he sorta has to be out of bastardness to go along with my storyline, or at least this chapter. Anyway, i hope you weren't going 'ehhh' with this last one. well, at least not too much.
On another note, you can see when I expect the next updates to take place by viewing my bio. I update it every week under RECENT to tell when i expect new chapters, stories, or if there will be any delays, so...yeah:) =^..^= And now to get to you I treasure so dearly!
ParanoiaIn2005: Yes, I prefer to call my craziness 'eccentricity'. So I'm not crazy, I'm eccentric:) But yeah, I didn't think Harry could get away with too much from Snape. Afterall, he did just save his life from blinking outta existence...He's a bastard, but he does what is right, and that why we love him :) =^..^=
PhoenixPadfoot89: Yeah, he does what he has too. Bet he was pissed that the points weren't really deducted from Gryffindor though, huh? I'll keep goin' jus' for you!
Arizosa: "Cool in the best universal majestic way"? You flatter me immensly! Glad I'm good at these crazy scenes. I always think I tend to overdo it.
Katani Petitedra: Watch it, man. Blenders may look friendly, but they're close friends with toasters:)
mrs-osbourne's-class: YES! I'm inventive! The artiste in me luuuvsss to hear that! :) I'm glad you think i do such an excellent job at building tension! I usually think I'm overdoin' it, like 'oh no! Not -another- scene like this!' Good thing I'm apparently not:) I'm really pleased you like my action sequences! I have a lot of things planned for this story, so it gives me hope that I won't be overdoing anything :) =^..^= Thank you!
So I was watching this movie that came on my tele awhile ago, and I only caught the last half hour of it, but I thought, oh what the hell, it looks pretty scary, and I love scary movies (even though this is like, pre-90s). So anyway, to get past all this trivial stuff I'm saying, the movie was entitled "Troll", and I've done some digging, it was made in 1986. But that's not the frighteningly coincidental part of it(being as how she wrote the story set in 1992). I've found some rather shocking parallels between JKR's stories and this film. Okay, the main character in this film is named- get this, -Harry Potter Jr., his father being Harry Potter. Now, as if this was not coincidental enough, I find out that the film is all about magic and creatures from another sort of 'world'( i.e. 'Wizarding World'), who still like live in harmony with humans. Well, of course, this Harry Potter Jr. has to save his little sister from this evil thing(or the wizarding-world from Voldemort, see the parallels?), and well, geez, i dunno, it just completely weirded me out for a few days. Go and see for yourself.
Okay, enough to have freaked you all out with my scary(not haha scary) findings. Here's your much awaited, very long chappie!
~*~*~*~
Chapter 14- A Perfect Storm
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Harry awoke early the next morning with a feeling of dread in his stomach. It was Saturday. The day that Voldemort's new initiations were to take place. And here he was, laying in bed, unable to (safely) communicate with the Dractnox, and feeling utterly, utterly useless.
And it was all because he didn't listen to Dumbledore. He knew he shouldn't have spoken with the Dractnox, but his curiosity had gotten the best of him. He could've just asked Snape what had happened to his arm instead of questioning it, although it was more than likely that he would've received a reprimand for it. But that would've been nothing compared to what he'd gone through now.
And now he owed Snape his life. He knew that fact all too well. And it wasn't the first time that the Potions master had saved his life, either. He wouldn't be there, in that room, in that bed, in Hogwarts if it wasn't for Snape. The very skills and abilities that Snape was trying to refine and teach him had saved his life.
He realized that he hadn't been as keen on them as he should have, and that he had been taking them for granted for too long.
Things would be different starting now.
He could see that from the start. He really didn't have any time to putter around and not take things seriously. This was life. His life. And the seriousness of it was made all too clear from the very moment the Potions master had made himself present inside Harry's mind. There wouldn't always be someone like Snape to save Harry when he screwed up. And he couldn't allow a repeat of what had occurred to happen again.
That was why today, things were going to change. He was going to put childish rivalries and worries behind him. That didn't mean that he would stop participating in the things he loved, like Quidditch, for example, but that he would be on top of things from now on. He couldn't afford to not do so.
And what about what he was doing to the people he loved? Surely Ron and Hermione had already been through more than enough as consequence of being his friends? They didn't deserve to go through any more of this madness. And Godric only knew what they were feeling now. They thought that he would be back with them now, in Gryffindor Tower. And where was he? His second home, the hospital wing. If he didn't cause them early death through stress and worry, he'd be very, very surprised.
//I should get out of here. I feel okay. And I'm sure not going to try to speak with -them- again for awhile// He glared at a Dractnox in a way that would rival Snape himself. It took no notice of his death glare and continued on its way right through the brick wall. //Yeah, that's what I thought//
He sat up fully and decided to inspect the momentos and get-well stuff on his nightstand, something that he hadn't gotten a chance to do yet. It would give him time to think before he acted, an interesting theory in his opinion. //And I have a lot to do. I need to talk with Dumbledore. And especially Ron and Hermione...And probably Snape too. I owe him...big...// There was an incredible amount of chocolate wrappers amid the stuff on the stand (accredited to Ron, of course) along with Every-Flavor Beans and an out-of-place brown paper bag. //Malfoy's bag! Oh Gods! how could I have forgotten it?!//
The dirty paper parcel was there, sitting insignificantly amidst the candies and such. He practically flew to get at it, his curiosity flaring up like some uncontrollable fire. What in the world would Malfoy ever leave -him-? Especially when he had thought that Harry didn't know it was he who stuck it there, and after a grand-scale apology on his part, too.
//But surely he doesn't think that now, after all this time, the potion he slipped me is just now having it's effects? But what else could he be talking about?//
Harry looked at the bag, so unimportant in it's drab coloring. He wanted to shred it open, tear the paper to bits, but he wasn't quite sure what it would contain. The bag itself was terrifyingly uncharacteristic of Malfoy parcels. What if it should it be some sort of trap?
//But what if it isn't? He meant what he said...I know it//
Harry decided to throw caution to the wind. He'd be damned if this thing was going to blow up in his face on the very day he'd decided to turn everything around. And if Malfoy really did want to hurt Harry, he would have done it the very same night he'd left the bag.
//Oh Merlin please don't let this be a mistake...//
Gingerly unfolding the edges of the brown paper, Harry awaited some sort of explosion, or poison gas, or something else nasty that the wizarding world had to graciously offer.
Nothing happened.
Harry looked inside the bag to see something shiny. He cautiously put his hand in and pulled out a long, smooth piece of metal.
//What is this?//
He twirled it around in his hand and examined it. There didn't seem to be anything great about it. Not in the least bit magical. Why did Malfoy give him something that looked like his aunt's good silver?
Harry furrowed his brow and put it back into it's bag, depositing it safely on the nightstand. He could see Dumbledore about it later. //I would have been able to ask the Dractnox...// Harry frowned. Those things hadn't made his life as easy as he had originally thought they would. And what had he gotten for knowing about them? Right now, they just led from one big headache to another.
//And what remedy is there for this? Gaah! I wish they had never come to me!//
Harry swung his legs decidedly over the bed and searched for his robes. He wanted out of the wing and he wanted out right now. It was early enough that no one would be up and about yet, so he could escape outside for some time alone to think. He needed fresh air and solitude to mull things over. What help was he to Dumbledore now in the fight against Voldemort? The initiation was today, and he hadn't been able to stop anything, or even at least hinder what was going to happen. They knew where the place was at least, but what had they done to stop anything? Unless there had been plans made when Harry was asleep, there was nothing done to stop Voldemort from taking new members -Harry's peers, friends- into his ranks. Dumbledore had told Harry that those reluctant to join would die. Did that mean that next week Hogwarts would be a little less full of students? Harry couldn't live with that on his conscious.
Finding his clothes pressed and cleaned he put them on and stood up quietly so he could sneak out of the wing for a bit. //I'll be back before anyone is even up. I won't be missed// He didn't want to worry Madam Pomfrey, or cause any panic. Things were as bad as they needed to be already.
Harry was quietly making up his bed and getting ready to leave some sort of note for Madam Pomfrey when he heard the hospital doors open very quietly. He thought for sure that he'd be facing a very surprised, and rather irate, Medi-witch, but instead a platinum head slowly made it's way inside. Harry froze in his place, surprised.
Malfoy.
He hadn't expected to be seeing him so soon. At least not the first thing today, and so early in the day too.
He watched as Malfoy slowly entered and quietly shut the doors, not noticing Harry was presently standing and watching him. Harry quickly checked his bed once to make sure that he wasn't lying there, as an illusion like before, and that Malfoy was just unobservant. The sudden intake of breath from Draco told Harry otherwise.
They both stared at each other; Draco going paler than his already pallid complexion, and Harry studying him with inquiring eyes. Neither moved but just watched the other, not knowing what to expect or think.
"Potter..." Draco uttered under his breath with a sort of relief. The quiet echo from his voice and the breathing of each boy was the only noise in the room.
"Draco..." Harry used his first name, beginning the changes he decided would take place in his life. As far as he was concerned, the name 'Malfoy' held a certain connotation, a sort of history, that he did not wish associated with when speaking Draco's name. That, and addressing him as 'Malfoy' was something that he did when he considered Draco an enemy. He was putting it behind him.
"You're awake..."
"I am."
Neither moved from their respective spots, and both were still whispering. The cold of the morning was still upon the air, and Harry could feel it creeping up upon them, enclosing them with a sort of privacy in which to speak, although neither really seemed to know what to say to one another except short two-word sentences. Malfoy chose to break that rule for single words.
"Alright?"
"Good and healthy." Harry walked around from one side of the bed to the other, as if proving this. He sat down determinedly facing Malfoy. He wasn't going anywhere, not until they had discussed a few things. So they stayed like that for awhile, simply looking at one another, barely moving in the silence. Harry could see in Draco's eyes the whirling of too many emotions. He was wondering just exactly what Draco was there for, taking into consideration everything he knew, including the brown paper bag sitting so very close to him. But his considerations were cut short as Draco finally decided to break the silence.
"Everyone thinks you're dying..."
"Well, if you've come to see if it's true, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed..."
Rather than the expected anger or hostility, Harry's statement was greeted with one of the most pained expressions he'd ever seen. With a heavy heart, Malfoy started to confess his guilty conscious to Harry, something he'd tried to do once before, and something he had to do right here and now or die from guilt.
"I'm so sorry...It shouldn't have happened to you, I know...it's all my fault for what's been happening to you! I shouldn't have gone along with any of it! It's all gone too far!" His voice started to waver terribly and Harry did the only thing he could think of doing. He got up from where he was standing and walked over to Draco. He held his hand out in front of him to shake that of the other boy. Draco looked at it but didn't shake. "I don't deserve your hand! I've done so much crap to you! It was me who poisoned you with that potion-!"
"I'm fully aware of what you've done, and I'm offering you friendship." Harry took the trembling hand of the other boy and grasped it firmly in his. "The past is past, and things need to change. Now."
"But what I've done-"
"Is past."
"N-no..." Draco said. "It's not. I-I gave something to Voldemort. Something very powerful...dangerous..."
Harry frowned. Whatever that glassy thing Voldemort had had in Harry's vision must've been the thing Draco had given him. It seemed pretty powerful, but how had he acquired such an item?
"What 'thing'?!" Harry was gripping Draco's hand hard without realizing it. The other boy let go.
"I didn't give all of it to him...None of this should have happened...You were right..."
"All of what?" A sudden light bulb went on inside Harry's head and he quickly went over to his bedstand table and wrenched the paper bag off it. "Is this the other piece?!"
"How did you know...I..."
"I know a lot of things now. Why did you give this to me?" He pulled out the piece of metal from inside.
"It's...I...I don't know..."
The air around them felt suffocating to Harry. They needed to talk somewhere else.
"We should go and see Dumbledore about this..." Draco nodded and Harry put the metal back into it's bag. He quickly scribbled a note and left it on his pillow for Madam Pomfrey to find. "Let's go. There are a lot of things that need to be discussed." He headed for the hospital doors carrying the paper bag, with a reluctant Draco Malfoy following him down silent, deserted corridors.
It was like some sort of crazy world of opposites. Never in his life did Harry think he and Draco could put things behind them, but there were bigger things in life than the two of them and their rivalries. This proved things.
"We need to tell Dumbledore everything, you know?" Harry asked Malfoy.
"Yes...I just...I can't believe the things I've done..."
Harry stayed silent. In reality, they really weren't that different. Maybe different in some ways, like blood or family, but they were very alike. If not for the very first time they met, Harry would probably be in Slytherin right alongside Malfoy. It had never occurred to him that they could be so very similar in certain manners. If he had been in Slytherin, who was to say what kind of things he would be doing, or what kinds of friends he would have fallen in with. He knew that he had many inborn Slytherin qualities about him, that was for sure. He was a parseltongue and he knew he broke more than enough rules to last him a while, and what wouldn't he be willing to do to stop Voldemort? He was willing to give almost anything to stop that evil snake and avenge the parents that he had never even known. All the years of pain-filled memories living with his aunt and uncle could have been spent with parents who loved him. He would go to almost any length to stop Voldemort, and wasn't that a rather Slytherin characteristic in itself?
"We're here..." Harry stated outside of the stone statue that led to Dumbledore's office.
"Isn't it too early?" Draco asked with trepidation. He was shaking slightly, and Harry was sure it was not from the chill of the morning air.
He grabbed Draco's arm and gave it an encouraging squeeze. "There's only one way to find out."
Harry muttered some muggle confection under his breath and the statue started to move, spiraling upwards. He and Draco jumped on and awaited the top of the stairs, Draco's stomach filling with dread.
"You know, I've put our differences aside, and I don't think Dumbledore will begrudge you the same treatment..."
With that statement, Draco seemed to regain some of his composure and re-established whatever bit of confidence he had left in himself. He knew he didn't deserve such civil treatment, and more than anything, he felt he ought to be kicked out of Hogwarts for what he had done. He knew after what he was about to do, there was no way he could return home to his father, no turning back. The sheer fact that he didn't follow in his father's footsteps and deceived the Dark Lord was sure to earn him a very painful death, if he was lucky. After the last few weeks since he had poisoned Harry, or at least believed he had poisoned him, things had changed and flip-flopped so much that Draco was utterly confused and didn't know where he stood anymore. Since the night his father had come to pick him up, Harry's words had stuck with him: he didn't have to live up to what everyone else expected of him. Being one of the first to see the Dark Lord before the actual initiation was to take place, he had immediately revolted against his entire creed. That man who seemed to be so great in his father's eyes, that inexplicably revolting creature that Tom Riddle had become, was not the man that Draco had expected to become a loyal follower of. He realized that this...man...whom the very boy next to him had defeated so many times before, was an abomination. If whatever rubbish Draco had been fed as a child turned out to now be untrue, then what next? Muggles having actual magical capabilities? His whole world was turned upside down, and he couldn't find a foothold anywhere save here. Harry was able to put it all behind him, but what if he couldn't? The guilt inside of him was eating away at his soul, and the pain he was experiencing at the whole reality of it wounded him far worse than anything the Dark Lord could do.
"Do you think he's up?"
Harry put his head to the door, and heard voices inside. He pegged one of the voices as Dumbledore's own, but was unsure of the second voice. "He's up, but there's someone else in there with him. I'm not sure who..." The voices stopped suddenly and Harry pressed his ear harder against the door. It surprised him to find that Draco was doing the same thing.
"Hear anything?"
"N-!"
The door opened suddenly and both boys fell on their backs into the room. Harry was rubbing his head, with Draco doing the same, laying upon the floor when he took notice of Snape looking down on them from above. He had both an annoyed and surprised look upon his face at finding Harry up and about, and both boys at the foot of the door. It had been he who had let them literally drop in. "Professor Snape?"
Draco suddenly went rigid at the mention of his head-of-house. He looked into the infuriated face of Snape and cast his eyes down, which was a hard task being as how they were both currently laying on the floor. His eyes caught the robes of their Headmaster, and out of both curiosity and fear, he looked into the old man's face. What he found was not anger, but sheer amusement. Apparently Dumbledore found the situation very funny.
"Nice to see you up and about, my boy," he said to Harry. "Is there something I can do for you two?" The mirth in his voice took Draco completely by surprise. He was expecting a reprimand of some sort, a scolding, or anything really, but not this. What he got from Snape, however, was quite the contrary. The Potions Master had a rather pissed off look set upon his face for, number one, the finding of one of his house sneaking around outside the Headmaster's door, and two, the fact that he and Harry were apparently together in this. Since when had Potter and Malfoy become friends? Slytherin associating with Gryffindor...how humiliating.
"Sorry Professor Dumbledore," Harry said getting up and brushing himself off. He helped Malfoy pick himself up and they both stood next to one another in a sort of huff. Both Dumbledore and Snape were taken aback by the boys' complaisance to one another. "We had to see you."
Dumbledore motioned them inside and Snape shut the door. "What brings you up here so early on a Saturday morning?"
"The day itself, sir, as a matter of fact."
Dumbledore knew what Harry meant, but wasn't sure what to make of Draco Malfoy being with him. He wasn't sure if it was safe to be discussing such matters in front of a future death eater. Severus' life may be put into jeopardy by discussing it. It wasn't safe.
"Whatever do you mean, my boy?"
Harry looked at Draco, not exactly knowing where to begin. "Sir...what...happened to me by the lake a few days ago, and everything else," he unconsciously looked at Snape. "Well, it's hard to explain, but we think we may have an explanation..." Harry looked at Draco for help. The boy complied, but not without difficulty.
"I...I've done something...incredibly..." Draco's voice started to choke up. He couldn't say such things in front of Snape. He knew the man to be one of the Death Eaters in Voldemort's innermost circle, and admitting what he had done right in front of him would be committing suicide.
"Go on, my boy. You're among friends." Dumbledore's gentle voice did hardly nothing to stop what Draco was feeling. The things that could happen to him, would happen to him, if he told were too close for comfort.
"Professor...I..." He looked to Snape who was waiting patiently for the boy to say what he had to say. But Draco could not bring himself to it. Didn't Dumbledore realize that he had a Death Eater in his midst? He moved closer to Harry and whispered something in his ear much to the disgrace of Snape. This kind of behavior from a Slytherin was totally humiliating.
"Umm...Sir, I think Draco needs a bit of...reassurance. He...He doesn't understand that Professor Snape...uh..." Harry was at a real loss for words, and the death glare, inquisitive in the least, he was getting from Snape didn't seem to help matters. "Sir...I...It has to do with Voldemort..." Harry looked at Snape after saying this, hoping that Dumbledore would catch his drift.
"Ah. I see. Well, Draco my boy, you are in good hands, and as I've said before, among friends. You have nothing to fear here." Dumbledore smiled warmly at Draco and summoned two plush chairs for the boys to sit in. "Please, have a seat."
The boys did as told, but Draco still didn't feel like committing his betrayal right in front of one of Voldemort's most loyal supporters. To think that Dumbledore and Harry didn't even realize it! Despite Dumbledore's reassurances, he still felt like he was playing a deadly game of sorts.
"I-..."
"Oh come out with it boy!" Snape cried out. He didn't like being the subject of secretive discussions at any rate, and he felt he'd rather teach a class full of Longbottoms than to take any more of this suspense.
"No one here will do you any harm, lad."
"It's fine, Draco," Harry said to him quietly. Draco gave his head of house a look of distrust, and Snape hit him back with one of even more malice. Harry leaned over conspiratorially to Draco and whispered in his ear. "He's not who you think he is. It's safe to speak. I give you my word." He leaned back into his chair and waited to see if the other boy believed enough to speak.
With a hard look, Draco murmured something under his breath.
"Speak up, Mr. Malfoy!" Snape's hard voice didn't encourage Draco really, but it was out of fear that he spoke suddenly spoke up.
"I said that...what I've done...it's unforgivable...I-I gave a...a..."
"Yes, Draco?" Dumbledore inquired. The kind-heartedness of the old wizard's voice made Draco feel terrible. How could he betray such a kind voice? How could he bear to tell the old man that he'd given Voldemort one of the most powerful weapons known to wizard-kind?
"Igafawheapintofoldemortsir."
"Slow down, my boy. What was that?"
"I gave Voldemort a...a weapon..."
"What do you mean? What weapon?"
Harry reached behind him into the paper bag which he'd brought in with him."This is part of it, sir." He pulled the shiny metal out of the bag and balanced it on his hand in front of Dumbledore.
Snape walked over to Harry and held out his hand. "Hand it to me, Potter." Harry handed the metal over to Snape, who examined it before handing it to Dumbledore.
"Are you aware of what this is, my boy?"
"Yes...It's a part of the Omnivieve Glass..."
"Where did you get it, Draco?" Snape's voice cut through Draco like ice. He crossed the room back to stand near Draco, imposing his dark form in front of the boy.
Never before had Draco been more scared of his head of house, and now he was sure to receive his payment. "I took it from the original...I didn't give the whole thing to him. I didn't want him to use it to harm more people." He expected his death to come swiftly from the man in front of him. A quick Avada Kadabra if he was at all merciless to one of his own house. But nothing happened. He lifted his eyes to those of the man in front of him, only to see relief and pride shining from those dark orbs. Snape actually seemed proud of him for nicking the metal from Voldemort.
"How did you come upon the Omnivieve Glass, Draco?" Dumbledore leaned forward interestedly and looked Draco square in the eyes. Obviously, Dumbledore knew a lot about whatever this thing was. But where Draco had received it was another story.
"I got it from my father..." Snape gave a snort. He looked hardly surprised at this. "He was cleaning out the stores beneath our house.." Snape stiffened at wondering what else was hidden beneath the Malfoy mansion. Draco thought he would surely face the innermost circle of hell for betraying his father, but he continued anyway. "It's been there for countless generations. It's the way I got the...the bottle that..." Draco cleared his throat. He couldn't bring himself to say 'poisoned'. Harry had already forgiven and forgotten, but he couldn't put these things behind him. How could he live with himself now? "...My father gave me the Glass to present to the Dark Lord when I was to be accepted into the circle. Sons are always received before other recruits, and he wanted me to make a good impression..." He cleared his throat once more, and Dumbledore offered him a glass of water.
"Please, go on."
Harry patted his arm encouragingly. It felt so weird to be 'friends' with an enemy. Draco didn't know what to really make of it, but he knew that things were going to be different from now on, and he didn't know what that would mean to his life.
"Well, I went with my father to the Dark Revel. I was really nervous..." He looked at the Potions Master with shame in his eyes. "...and excited. I approached him for the first time. He took each one of us alone into a room. Some wouldn't come out, and...I was scared." That was an understatement. Frightened beyond death is better. "It was my turn, and I told him I had a gift from my father. I removed it from my coat and gave it to him, only the glass part. I had planned to give it to him in it's two pieces, but seeing him...being there...looking him in those red eyes. I...I kept it."
Snape's eyes flickered to Dumbledore's. They both knew it took some balls to do what Draco had done. If possible, Snape's eyes held a sort of prideful quality to them.
"He didn't even notice, but he was really excited to get just the glass piece. I-I even thought that he might hug me." Draco laughed nervously here even though he was slightly perspiring. The seriousness that overtook the Headmaster's eyes compelled Draco to continue. He wanted his betrayal to be done and over with. "He dismissed me after that. Said I'd see him soon after if the thing worked properly. He made everyone leave after that." He gulped down his water quickly and sat still in his chair waiting for what cards Fate would deal him.
Luckily for him, Dumbledore was a forgiving man.
"What you have done, Draco, is give a very old piece of magic to our Tom Riddle. You see, the Omnivieve Glass was made long ago, before the time of your Salazar Slytherin as a matter of fact." The old man's voice carried the same note as would one who is trying to explain why fire burns to a young child. "The Glass was made to ward off bad magic, in order to protect muggles. Magic was rampant long ago and there was nowhere near as much order then as there is today. It was meant to do away with all evil and everything touched by it. It was meant as a weapon of good in those dark times. But now, Voldemort is trying to use it against it's original purpose. He is attempting to rid the world of all those who oppose him. He used it incorrectly, of course, so it backlashed against him and all those connected to him through his evil ways. He is trying to corrupt it to his own purposes, but it was never meant as an instrument of destruction. And without this vital piece," he held up the silver metal, "he cannot do any evil with it. It will only continue to backlash against him and those connected to him. Unfortunately, that also means ex-Death Eaters. That is why the Omnivieve Glass cannot be used as a weapon, for either the forces of light or dark. It would only serve to do more harm than good. Using it to destroy those connected to him would only result in useless death, many of whom do not deserve such a thing." At this he winked at Harry, who grew progressively pale. So that was what had happened to him. He was feeling the power of the Glass against himself, getting a little taste of death.
"S-sir? How does he control it? Can't it be taken from him?" Harry was a little more than worried by all this. If Voldemort didn't catch on and used the thing to the extreme, wouldn't it result in his death also?
"Fortunate you asked that, Harry. Voldemort is only capable of controlling the Omnivieve Glass as long as he has it on his person. He controls it with his blood. That's the only way for a person to control it. The wizard and the Glass must become as one, but if the blood becomes washed off, or the Glass is broken, then his hold is broken as well. But since he doesn't even have the second part, here, then you don't have to worry about it as much."
Harry was disquieted by this piece of information. The only way to stop Voldemort from using this thing was to retrieve it from him, and it seemed like that wouldn't be happening anytime soon. And if he found out the second piece was being held at Hogwarts, then he would come after it. No matter what way Harry looked at it, he was screwed.
"What about tonight, sir? What will be done tonight?" Harry knew that this was the night that new recruits would be accepted into the circle, and he knew that it meant death for others. Had they even planned anything while he was out? So much had happened in this little space of time, he couldn't be sure.
"Tonight?" Draco asked.
Harry looked at Draco critically, who understood from his eyes what 'tonight' meant.
"There isn't going to be a Revel tonight..." Draco said objectively.
"And how are you so sure of that?" Snape's frigid voice demanded of him.
"Because father said that He was too busy with the Glass to bother with anyone else at the moment..."
Snape cocked his head toward Dumbledore in acknowledgment of Draco's statement. He, too, knew that there would be no meeting this evening due to his experimentation with the glass. Years of service to Voldemort didn't teach him to have to be told to know that.
"And how can you be sure that the Dark Lord does not know that a piece to his new toy is missing, Mr. Malfoy, and that he isn't planning to come looking for your father or you?"
"Because when father gave it to me, it was inside an old oak box. I believe he knew what was in there, but I think other than myself or him, Voldemort does not know that there is a piece missing. And my father is not so stupid as to go and announce such a fact to Him."
Although he did not say anything, it could be told that Snape seemed pleased with Draco's answer. The boy was not as foolish as he had apparently thought.
With the sweet song of the phoenix bird that Dumbledore kept in his office, the four realized that the sun had long since risen into the air and that the morning had begun without them.
"My, my how time flies when you're having fun!" Dumbledore said bringing a sort of finality to the subject. Count on Dumbledore to make the most cheerful thing out of the most dire conversations. "I think we've all worked up a substantial appetite with all this talk, and I do believe that a hearty breakfast is in order." Dumbledore looked at the two boys with he utmost seriousness in his eyes as they got up from their chairs.
"Yes, sir." Harry said. Draco followed him out of the office and onto the stairwell where they were finally left alone to their thoughts. "You realize that none of this can be discussed outside of his office..."
"I'm not a dolt, Potter." Harry smiled at Draco as they descended the stairs. He wasn't about to start calling Harry by his first name, but it was all for the better. If they started acting all buddy-buddy, people might realize something was up.
Reaching the bottom steps, Draco panicked and stopped. He felt like the word 'betrayer' was written all over him. His Slytherin brethren would eat him alive "I don't think I can do this..."
"Yes, you can. Things are different know, but you can adjust." Harry started to walk down the stairwell, and felt Draco grip his shoulder from behind. He turned his head back to look at Draco. For such a cocky little prat, he was really just like any other scared kid. "You can do it. It's the first step towards your freedom." He let Draco hold onto him as they exited the stairs and stood in front of the statue. "You know, you can let go of me now..."
Draco realized he was still gripping him, rather hard, on the shoulder. Some part of his old self was saying to him 'eww...I have Potter cooties'. He removed his hand, but only a second too late.
Almost instantaneously, a curse impacted his body.
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Well, I can only hope that that chapter pleased you. It was a real bitch to write,what with All Hallows Eve and such. I was a pirate wench:) I got 12lbs of candy! Ha ha! This was the best haul yet! It's all straight to thighs-ville! You're never too old to trick or treat! :) But anyways, what do you guys think about my Malfoy? For this story, I know my Malfoy is pretty OOC, and i really hope that it doesn't eff it up, but he sorta has to be out of bastardness to go along with my storyline, or at least this chapter. Anyway, i hope you weren't going 'ehhh' with this last one. well, at least not too much.
On another note, you can see when I expect the next updates to take place by viewing my bio. I update it every week under RECENT to tell when i expect new chapters, stories, or if there will be any delays, so...yeah:) =^..^= And now to get to you I treasure so dearly!
ParanoiaIn2005: Yes, I prefer to call my craziness 'eccentricity'. So I'm not crazy, I'm eccentric:) But yeah, I didn't think Harry could get away with too much from Snape. Afterall, he did just save his life from blinking outta existence...He's a bastard, but he does what is right, and that why we love him :) =^..^=
PhoenixPadfoot89: Yeah, he does what he has too. Bet he was pissed that the points weren't really deducted from Gryffindor though, huh? I'll keep goin' jus' for you!
Arizosa: "Cool in the best universal majestic way"? You flatter me immensly! Glad I'm good at these crazy scenes. I always think I tend to overdo it.
Katani Petitedra: Watch it, man. Blenders may look friendly, but they're close friends with toasters:)
mrs-osbourne's-class: YES! I'm inventive! The artiste in me luuuvsss to hear that! :) I'm glad you think i do such an excellent job at building tension! I usually think I'm overdoin' it, like 'oh no! Not -another- scene like this!' Good thing I'm apparently not:) I'm really pleased you like my action sequences! I have a lot of things planned for this story, so it gives me hope that I won't be overdoing anything :) =^..^= Thank you!