Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

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Friend or Foe

Chapter 18: A Forced Gamble

Percy sat alone in the almost empty headquarters, reading the newest issue of the Daily Prophet with only half his mind on it. To say the world was in a panic would be an understatement. The muggle world was in chaos, no one knew what had happened to reduce a whole village into ruins overnight, with none of the villagers left alive. The wizarding world was not fairing any better. He glanced at the front page of the Daily Prophet. "The Ministry finally announced to the public that You-Know-Who has returned, after six months of delay," Percy thought grimly with a sudden surge of shame.

"Are you going back to the Ministry today, dear?"

"I have to go back soon after breakfast, Mum. I will be needed to take care of things there," Percy answered his mother as a plate of fried eggs materialized in front of him.

In fact, Percy should have gone back to the Ministry by now, but there was someone he needed to talk to first.

He had been trying to decide what he should do with Harry Potter ever since he had come back to the headquarters with the boy earlier. Nicolas Flamel had given him a lengthy account of events that involved time travel, changing identity and a boy called Tom Riddle. Over the night, Percy found himself knowing more about this war they were having than anyone else in the order or in the Ministry. And now, to his shame, he was at a loss of what he should do with all the startling information he had learned several hours ago.

Percy still had a hard time believing what Flamel had told him. Whatever Percy had expected, it had not been such a far-fetched explanation. But the regrets and guilt in Flamel's voice didn't seem to be an act, and it did explain some of what Percy had witnessed last night.

Time travel. Percy shook his head slightly. He couldn't believe that the world-famous alchemist had kept his research in the dark. Unauthorized time travel was highly illegal. Over the centuries, any attempt to travel through time had been tightly monitored by the Ministry since tampering with time could easily turn out to be disastrous; and it had.

If what Flamel had said was true, then it meant that Harry had spent a year in the past without anyone noticing. By the cruelty of fate, Harry had unknowingly befriended the monster who would one day kill his parents and ruined countless others' lives. When Harry returned to the present, he had chosen his new 'friend' over all those who had cared for him, all based on a promise and a belief that had been proven untrue time and time again.

Percy messaged his temple as he recalled what Flamel had said about the reason for Harry becoming a Death Eater. It was… naïve and ridiculous, to say the least.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when the familiar high-pitch scream of Black's mother reached his ears. Hermione emerged from the stairs with Ginny, followed by Ron… and Harry.

Harry was in much better shape than he had been the night before, or at least he was trying to appear as such. The boy still looked very weak and tired, but no one would have guessed how close he had been to death only a few hours ago.

Harry's eyes flickered over to where Percy was for a moment before he sat down next to the kitchen table, right between Ron and Hermione. Percy forced himself to return his attention to his untouched breakfast. He would hear what Harry had to say before deciding what he would do.

That was not easy though. The memory of seeing the tattoo on the boy's arm was still fresh in Percy's mind. Now, watching his mother fussing over the boy about his well-being and his siblings sitting around the table, Percy found himself tensing unconsciously.

There was a Death Eater in their midst, and he was so close to Percy's own family! His mother looked so concerned over Harry's weakened state. She had no idea what Harry had done and what Percy had seen with his own eyes.

Percy sat straighter and tried to relax. He needed to calm down. There was nothing Harry could do in the middle of the Order's Headquarter.

He tried to tune down the chatting sound coming from Harry's side of the table and focused on organizing his own thoughts. He waited patiently for Harry to finish his breakfast, having abandoned his own finally, and walked over to where the boy was seated before anyone ushered him away.

"A word, Harry?" he asked politely in what he thought as a natural tone.

Harry looked up at him, then he nodded wordlessly and stood up to follow Percy.

Percy led Harry to his own room, ignoring the curious gazes that fell on them as they left the kitchen.

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Percy locked the door and placed a silencing charm on it before turning around to face Harry.

"What are you thinking, Harry?" Percy began. "Do you have any idea what you have done?"

Harry looked away. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"Are you?" Percy couldn't stop the bitter words, nor could he conceal the anger in his voice. "You joined him willingly, and Merlin knows what you've done for him. You said you are sorry? If I hadn't found out last night, you would have continued to serve him while cheating everyone here, wouldn't you?"

The boy's silence was as good an answer as any.

"How could you?" Percy shook his head. "How could you betray us like this? What about Ron? Would you have killed him if your… master," he spat the word in disgust, "asked you to?"

"I won't," the reply was immediate. "I'll die before that."

Percy didn't expect to hear such a resolute answer from the boy. "Still, you've killed for him," he said quietly.

Harry visibly flinched at that, confirming Percy's dreaded suspicion. "Who?" he asked tentatively.

"Hestia Jones," Harry answered softly after a moment of silence.

Percy remembered hearing that name mentioned by some of the order members. Hestia Jones, a member of the Order of the Phoenix and an Auror.

Percy rubbed his temple. "The things you've done are considered heavy crimes by the Ministry."

"I know," said Harry quietly.

Percy was starting to feel frustrated at the boy's calm response. Didn't he understand what kind of mess he had gotten himself into?

"I don't understand." he said. "Why ruin your life because of this? He is the monster that has destroyed your life, Harry, not your friend. He deserves to die." There was no need to explain which he Percy was referring to.

A pained look crossed Harry's eyes. "That's the only way to bring him back. I have to try."

Percy gritted his teeth. "That's nonsense," he said, echoing himself at the time when Flamel told him why Harry had joined Voldemort.

"That's… nonsense! Harry became a Death Eater because-" He shook his head, unable to believe what he had just heard. "Because he wants to… redeem You-Know-Who?"

Percy couldn't understand. After all the crimes that monster had committed, all the lives he had destroyed. How could anyone, especially Harry, think of redeeming him? But even so, it still didn't explain why Harry joined the Dark Lord. It made no sense at all.

"Harry shares a bond with Tom. They can feel each other's emotions as if the emotions are their own," said Flamel before Percy could voice his thoughts, "Years of training under a master of Dark Arts has twisted Tom's mind. It has ripped away his compassion, his ability to feel and to care for the lives around him. Yes, he could do that once," Flamel said at Percy's expression. "Harry believes that if he can make Tom feels again, he can stop Voldemort, and stop the war altogether."

Percy tried to comprehend what he's just been told. "Then Harry joined You-Know-Who because-"

Flamel looked old and tired as he continued in a soft voice, "Because Harry wants to feel for Tom, to force him to remember his old-self."

Percy was at a loss of words. That's insane! Harry and Flamel had lost their minds. Could they understand what they had been doing? What Harry had done so far was enough to earn him a life sentence in Azkaban, and Flamel was supporting him?

It had taken Percy a long time to figure out why Flamel had not stopped Harry when he first found out what Harry had done and had even provided help for the boy to keep his secrets. In the end of the conversation he had had with Flamel, he finally understood. Flamel had the same belief as Harry. For whatever reason, or perhaps pure insanity, they both believed that Voldemort, a ruthless monster who wouldn't even blink when he ordered the annihilation of a village, could be 'brought back'.

Percy knew he had to end this madness once and for all. It was his job to hand Harry over to the Ministry. Surely his family would understand him this time? Harry was a danger to them all.

Percy stared back at Harry. The boy still looked awfully weak and seemed to be having some trouble simply standing up right. Percy hesitated. What he was about to do would mean a life-time of imprisonment for Harry.

"Just do what you have to do." Harry looked straight at Percy.

"Don't you have anything to say for yourself?" said Percy, surprised that the boy didn't even protest.

"I never intend to walk away from what I've done," said Harry.

Percy sighed. "Why are you sacrificing so much for him?" he said, feeling exasperated at the boy's unwavering loyalty to his… 'friend'. "Even if you do succeed in… bringing him back," Percy couldn't believe he was actually saying that, "he will never be allowed to live. It doesn't make any difference in the end whether he is redeemed or not."

It seemed a cruel thing to say, but that was the truth. Harry's effort was deemed to be wasted, no matter he succeed or not in the end. It was a gamble with no chance of winning to begin with.

Harry remained silent for a long time before replying, "No, it makes all the difference, even if the end result maybe the same for the world." Harry trailed off at that. He paused for a moment before continuing softly, "The Tom I knew would never allow himself to die as a monster… nor will I. Besides," A grim expression appeared on Harry's face. "I don't think the order, even with the support of the Ministry, can stop him that easily. I saw them destroy nearly every single life and build in that village within two hours last night, and he hasn't even started to send out the dementors yet." Harry looked up at Percy, a haunted look slipped pass the boy's mask of indifference and into his eyes for a split second. "I understand very well what he's done, Percy, but I can't bring myself to fight him. I… I'm not saying what I've done is right, it's downright foolish to begin with, but this is really the only way I can help to stop this war, though maybe there's little hope to succeed even from the start."

Percy sighed. As a Ministry officer and a member of the Order of the Phoenix, he had no doubt what he had to do. But something made him hesitate. What Flamel had said to him shortly before Harry had returned affected him more than he would like to believe.

"Harry wants Tom to remember the person he used to be, but it seems that Harry's own well-being is affecting Voldemort more than they both have expected." Flamel gave Percy a slight smile. "My old friend Albus believes that Voldemort can't love, but that's not true. Tom Riddle almost never let anyone near him as an act to protect himself and he grew up to believe that love is a weakness, but that doesn't mean he can't love. As far as I know, only four have witnessed Voldemort caring for another and showing compassion. Harry, myself, a Slytherin boy who I believe died during Voldemort's first raise," Flamel paused and looked up at Percy, "and you."

True, Voldemort had rescued Harry and healed him, but it was all because Voldemort believed that Harry could be of use in the future, wasn't it? Though all he had heard about the Dark Lord told him that Voldmoert never bothered to save his followers, Percy refused to consider the possibility of the other explanation. Perhaps Percy didn't really want to think of what it would imply if Voldemort really had rescued Harry out of… friendship. Even the thought itself seemed ridiculous.

But Percy also knew what Harry had said was true. If the whole argument he'd had with his family had taught Percy anything, it was to open his eyes to the fact that the Ministry had its flaws and limits. The Ministry was capable of taking care of everything most of the time, but there were times when laws and regulations couldn't solve a problem, and war was one of those times. Percy was ashamed to find that he was willing to try if there was a way to stop the war, to turn everything back to normal. He would make sure that Harry would face the responsibility of his actions, but he also wanted to see the changes Harry's plan would bring about. It was very possible that it might all be for nothing, but Percy couldn't shake the memory of Voldemort carrying a deeply wounded Harry in his arms, searching for help and ending up healing the boy himself. Percy didn't want to end Harry's work so cruelly, especially if the boy was actually making some progress. Maybe it was not that wrong to wait and observe for little bit longer.

"I can let you continue with your… plan, but you have to promise me several things," he said finally.

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Time crawled slowly for Harry the whole day. The ride to King's Cross by Knight Bus was a nightmare in his weakened state. The trip back to Hogwarts was not any easier, either. Harry knew his injuries were serious and he knew he had been close to death when Voldemort brought him to Nicolas last night. Trying to act normal and to hide his injuries was almost impossible.

The train ride back to Hogwarts seemed endless. It was still at least two hours before they would reach the castle. The ride was uneventful so far, expect for the usual visit from Draco Malfoy soon after the train had departed.

Draco had bumped into their compartment as usual with Crabbe and Goyle. He'd had a sneer firmly in place, though Harry had known the blonde long enough to catch him relaxing upon seeing Harry, though weak, but apparently alive.

Draco had left without causing much of a fuss, but the small display of concern had been enough to lift Harry's spirit a little.

Harry closed his eyes, attempting to ease the nausea caused by the train movement, which was getting steadily worse.

"Harry? Are you sure you are all right?" asked Hermione, who was sitting across from him.

Looking up, Harry gave Hermione a small smile. "I'm fine. I just had a bad night."

"Do you think it might have something to do with the attack last night?" asked Ron from beside him, referring to the nightmares Harry had mentioned during summer.

Harry forced the images of the raid from his mind. "No," he answered. "I just had trouble going to sleep last night. It's nothing."

Noticing how tired Harry was, Ron and Hermione both let Harry have the rest he so obviously needed.

Sensing his friends concerned, Harry felt the now familiar guilt piercing him. He felt sick for lying to his friends over and over again. And what Percy had said to him weighed heavily upon him.

To Harry's astonishment, Percy had chosen not to hand him over - for the time being, of course. Percy had made him take an oath, not one as deadly as the unbreakable vow, but a magical oath all the same. It would alert the caster if the oath was broken.

The content of the oath was simple: Harry was not to use what he had learned about the order to the benefit of the Dark Lord and he was not to hurt any of Percy's family under any circumstances.

Those were things Harry never intended to do even without the oath. What troubled him the most was the last thing that Percy had asked him to do. He understood why Percy had had such a request, but it was… hard.

"Stay away from them, Harry. Regardless of what your intention is, as long as you are loyal to… him, I can't let you stay close to my family, or anyone in this house for that matter. You can't stay in between any longer, you have to choose. The way you are acting now is no different than a spy."

The realization that Percy was right hadn't come easy for Harry. He had been selfish to think that he could maintain his friendship with Ron and Hermione this year with everything he'd done without them knowing. But it was becoming clearer and clearer that he could no longer live as both Harry and Alex.

He remembered during his fourth year, Dumbledore had said that a time would come when everyone would have to choose a side. The attack last night indicated that that time was approaching soon. Voldemort was declaring war and soon there would be no place to hide; everyone would have to make their choice.

Harry knew that there was no longer a choice for him. He had gone too far by now. He would have to walk the road he had chosen to the end, even if it meant he would end up all alone.

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"Evanesco," Severus emptied the caldron before him with a wave of his wand. "Ten points from Gryffindor for your obvious inability to read and understand simple instructions, Longbottom. There is no need for you to make another attempt."

It was the first day of class after Christmas holidays and having to teach the fifth year Slytherin-Gryffindor class was doing little to lift Severus' foul mood. He strode passed the boy to inspect the potion of the next student, not sparing a glance as Longbottom hastily packed his belongings.

"Five points for talking in class, Miss Granger," he snapped without turning around as he heard the distinctive voice of Granger comforting Longbottom.

Shaking off the feelings that something was amiss with the class today, Severus stopped beside Potter's caldron. After the past few months, he was no longer surprised to find the brat managed to brew the potion correctly.

With the recent development of the war, Severus had let the issue of Potter's strange behavior slip from his mind. Though Potter's sudden change in attitude and his secret correspondence with his godson demanded attention, Severus saw no reason to waste more time on that spoilt brat when he had much more pressing matters to attend to.

As Severus continued to watch the boy, he noticed how stiff Potter's movement seemed to be. Drops of sweat had formed on his forehead as if he was struggling to keep standing and stirring at the same time. Potter's behavior reminded Severus of his own state whenever he tried to brew potions after receiving a Cruciatus from the Dark Lord.

Potter suffering from Cruciatus was not possible, of course. Albus' 'golden boy' was safely kept in the Order headquarter, far away from the horror Severus was forced to be a part of. No doubt the brat had stayed up all night with his friends, enjoying the Christmas holidays to the very last second and tiring himself due to lack of sleep or due to whatever drinks he had consumed.

"If you can't control your own hands, Potter, remove yourself from my classroom before you blow up your caldron," he said when drops of unfinished potion spilled out from Potter's caldron as the boy accidentally hit the edge of the caldron hard while stirring his potion.

Severus could hear the expected snickers coming from the Slytherin half of the class, but it died down as quickly as it began. It was than Severus was able to pinpoint exactly what was different with the class today.

His Slytherins were unusually quiet. They acted as if they were waiting for something, or perhaps, observing something.

It was Potter, Severus concluded near the end of the class. It was easy to miss, but the glances his Slytherins sent towards Potter every now and then didn't escape Severus. Curiously, the glances were more… calculating than the usual contemplating.

Not all Slytherins were acting this way, but those who did, Severus noticed, were all the offspring of current Death Eaters, more precisely, Death Eaters who were in the Dark Lord's Inner Circle.

Severus knew that some Death Eaters, especially those who came from noble families and those in the Inner Circle, often passed on inside information to their sons or daughters. It was safe to assume that some of his Slytherins had learned of something from their parents during the holidays. And whatever that was, it seemed to be concerning Potter.

It was strange and disturbing at the same time. Severus was a member of the Inner Circle, yet he could not remember the Dark Lord mentioning anything about the brat for the past several months. Had he interpreted the situation wrongly? Or was it as he had feared, that his loyalty was doubted to such an alarming level?

Whatever the case, Albus would want him to investigate if his 'golden boy' was concerned. Maybe he would learn more from Draco when he talked with the boy later that night.

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"Idiot. The way you spoke to the Dark Lord was simply asking for torture."

"Quit that, Draco, you've emphasized your point more than enough."

Draco looked undignified for a second before sighing. "Are you all right?"

Harry smiled tiredly. "I'll live."

He closed his eyes and lay down on the wonderfully soft cushion. He was exhausted after a whole day of lessons. A sudden movement of the cushion beside him told him Draco had done the same. Through the fake galleon, the two of them had decided to meet in the secret room of Hogwarts' Army after classes that day.

Dumbledore was quick in replacing Umbridge after the Ministry had finally declared the return of Voldemort. Now with Moody as their Defense Professor, there was little need for them to continue their defense group. Despite all that had happened during the past four months, Harry could still feel a faint sense of accomplishment at what the HA members had learned from the small club. They had covered several useful hexes as well as some defense techniques. They had even started the Patronus charm shortly before the holidays.

Harry knew Draco had felt the same way, though the blonde would never express it. Most of the HA members, though they could probably never fully trust the blonde, had finally accepted Draco as part of the group. They had all seen that Draco was indeed very skilled in defense and, as time went by, accepted that and was willing to learn what the Slytherin had to offer.

Hermione had suggested that they should continue the group earlier that day. Though Harry had told her he would think about it, he knew both he and Draco would refuse to continue their leadership of the defense group. It was simply wrong for two Death Eaters, loyal or not, to be the leaders of a Defense Against the Dark Arts group.

"They knew about you," said Draco suddenly. "Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle and Nott"

Harry pushed himself up with some difficulty and turned to look down at Draco. There was no need to ask what those four knew about Harry.

"How?"

Draco shrugged. "Their parents told them."

"So that's why they seem to be acting… differently towards me today."

"Don't worry," said Draco casually. "Your secret is safe with them, despite what you might think."

"I know," said Harry, a weak smile playing on his lips. "I was a Slytherin once, remember?"

Draco smirked, though his amusement didn't reach his eyes. Harry knew he was not the only one in the room who was injured in the raid last night. Draco was hurt as much as he was. Draco hadn't told him what had really happened, Harry could only gather that it had something to do with the blonde's father. Whatever Lucius Malfoy had done, it had shaken Draco greatly.

"Severus is suspicious though," Draco continued. "He saw the Dark Lord rescuing you. And you can only imagine how interested the old coot was to the 'newest Death Eater in the Inner Circle'."

Harry nodded. Draco had told him that Snape had stayed in the village until the very last moment and had witnessed what had transpired between him and the Dark Lord. With both Snape and Dumbledore after him, Harry knew he would not be able to stay hidden for long.

"It won't be long before they figure out what has happened," he muttered.

Harry knew Dumbledore would find out sooner or later. But what would happen then? Would Dumbledore send him straight to Azkaban? Or would he mold him back into the weapon he was prophesied to be? Somehow, the latter seemed more frightening.

"I'm going to meet with Severus later, I suppose I can try to buy you some time, at least to draw their suspicion away from you," said Draco slowly. "I won't promise anything though, and the rest is really up to you."

Harry blinked and turned to face the blonde. "Are you sure you should help me like this? You're supposed to be on Dumbledore's side… aren't you?" he finished lamely.

Draco calmly pushed himself to a sitting position and reached up to tidy his hair. "Most of the time, yes," he said, smirking, "when the old coot is the only one who can make use of my information."

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Severus sat calmly in his office, eyeing his godson who was sitting opposite from him. The room was heavily warded, so there was no chance for anyone to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Draco's face was guarded, though Severus could sense his godson's distress. It would take some time before Draco could recover from his experience of the raid and there was really nothing Severus could do to help.

Maybe tonight was not the best time to question Draco, but with the Dark Lord displaying his power and openly declaring war, the situation had suddenly gotten more desperate. As much as Severus wanted to protect his godson, Draco's motive of spying for the order was vague and the order could not afford having someone who might be the Dark Lord's agent among them in a time like this.

"What's this meeting for, Uncle Severus?" asked Draco. "I've already made my report on what's happened last night to Dumbledore this morning."

"I know, and I'm not going to ask you about the raid." Severus noticed Draco's tensed shoulder relaxed slightly at that. "What I want to know," he continued slowly, locking eyes with his godson, "is why you decided to spy for the headmaster."

"I've already said that I don't want to follow my father's path." Draco's expression remained guarded.

"But who convinced you to be a spy? Who taught you Occlumency and Legilimency? Someone has told you that I am a spy. And I'm sure you understand that I need to know who that is."

"My source would not leak the information to anyone."

Severus eyed his godson. "It's Potter, isn't it?"

"What made you think-" Draco paused for a while, before sighing and said, "Yes, it's him."

Severus raised his eyebrows at the swift admission.

"Potter came to find me several days after the night you talked to me about my initiation; he was having... remedial potions with you that night. Potter seemed to have some idea on what's going on and started babbling about how I should make the right choice. He said that I didn't have to do what my father told me to and that I could always ask for Dumbledore's protection if I refuse to join the Dark Lord," said Draco. "He seemed rather determined to convince me out of it, saying that he didn't want anyone to join the Dark Lord if he can stop it. When I refused to seek Dumbledore for help, he told me that I could be a spy instead. It seemed to be the perfect solution at that time, despite it was Potter who suggested it." There was hint of distaste in Draco's voice.

So Severus' suspicion was correct. He was surprised to hear that Potter had actually tried to help Draco so actively, but perhaps the boy was merely trying to seek Albus' attention. Convincing a student to take the right path? Yes, Albus would be so proud of his 'golden boy' doing such a 'noble' act. Severus snorted inwardly. Gryffindors.

"Why didn't you say so before?"

"Potter has made me promise not to tell anyone, he seemed reluctant to let anyone know he was associating with a Slytherin." Draco sneered in contempt. "Not that it matters much," Draco shrugged, "but there's no need to boost Potter's ego in front of Dumbledore."

Severus fully agreed with that. It was typical of Potter to do such thing. Severus should have known it was impossible for Potter to be anything but an arrogant Gryffindor like his father. Still, there's one question left.

"Then was Potter the one who taught you Occlumency and Legilimency?"

"Of course not," Draco replied, looking rather undignified at that suggestion. "I don't need Potter to teach me anything."

That was true. Severus knew for a fact that Draco would not have let Potter teach him anything, but was it possible for Draco to learn both skills in such a short time without any guidance?

"It was not easy," Draco continued as if knowing what Severus was thinking, "but I knew I would have to learn them before the Dark Lord summoned me again." Draco smiled grimly. "And that thought helped."

Severus frowned. "Why didn't you tell anyone about your decision? You waited until after your first summons before approaching the headmaster and me. I could have helped you with Occlumency and Legilimency if you had told me earlier."

"I wanted to wait until I could guard my mind before approaching the headmaster," said Draco, apparently knowing that Albus was a Legilimens. "Besides, Potter didn't tell me you were also a spy until I'd learned both skills."

Severus nodded, accepting the answer. At least that brat had some sense left in what he called a brain. Still, Severus felt the need to ensure that Potter knew when to keep his mouth shut.

Since they were speaking of Potter, Severus asked if Draco had heard of anything about the brat from the Dark Lord or his father.

"Why would the Dark Lord mention anything about Potter?" Draco replied, still oblivious to the prophecy.

Deciding he'd learned enough from Draco, Severus continued to talk with his godson in a more relaxed manner for some time. Both were concerned at how well-established the Dark Lord's force appeared to be and both knew they were in for a long hard war.

It was late at night when Draco finally left. Severus watched thoughtfully as his godson left his office. Draco had revealed more than he had expected. It seemed he was not as close to Potter as Severus had thought.

Something didn't add up though. Severus remembered the time when he overheard Draco's conversation with Potter in the Dungeons, that was long before Draco's initiation was mentioned. Why had Draco hidden that fact?

He shook his head. What had happened between Potter and his godson was of no importance at the moment. It worried him that even Draco was aware of the Dark Lord's mistrust towards him. Was it safe for him to continue spying?

In an attempt to clear the disturbing thoughts, Severus retreated to his personal lab and busied himself with brewing the potions Pomfrey had requested.

Yet despite Severus' effort, the conversation he'd had with Draco continued to replay itself in Severus' mind for the whole night. The feeling of deception lingered at the edge of his mind for a long time, unable to be shaken off.

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A/N: Sorry for disappearing for more than three months. I'll try to update faster next time, but I can't promise anything since it's becoming harder and harder for me to find time to write.

Again, thanks for my beta Irihi Safaia and all reviewers. Thanks for encouraging me to finish this.