Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Chapter 15 – The Truth about Draco:
Lily went to open the door, her wand clutched tightly in her hand. She hesitated for a second whether to open the door or not. What if it wasn't a neighbor and there was a Death Eater standing outside? Should she take the risk and see if she was right? She decided to be the brave Auror she was, and also she knew the guys were right behind her, watching closely and backing her up. She lowered the wards securing the door and slowly opened the door to a narrow slit so she could take a careful peek outside.
It was now late in the evening and she could barely see the person standing in front of her due to the almost complete darkness outside. She could hear this person taking short, unsteady breathes. "Please... Please open the door..." begged the stranger in a hoarse, male voice, and a faint "Help me" was whispered desperately.
She realized that if there was a Death Eater standing outside her door, she would probably be dead by now. She felt sorry for the stranger begging her to let him in.
Behind her, back in the kitchen, she could sense the boys starting to get up to take a look. It all happened in a matter of seconds. She saw him crouching forward and he gasped in what seemed to her like pain and she couldn't let him stand there anymore. She quickly opened the door fully and as the light of the corridor hit his face, she got a swift glimpse of his features. She recognized the young man at once, despite the abnormally white face that looked as if all the blood was drained from his body. His bright hair was soaked with dark blood, and he also had a deep, bloody gash all across his face, all the way from his left ear to his chin. He then started to sway dangerously and his light eyes rolled to the back of his head as he finally collapsed, his body fell forward limply and she managed to catch him before he hit the floor. She couldn't support his unconscious body for long. He felt heavy and his weight in her arms her made her knees buckle and then they both fell down.
"James! Harry! Quick!" she called, frightened. She didn't know what else she could do, but she needed someone's help first, before she could clear her head.
And in less than five seconds, all four men were there with their wands out, ready to strike. When they saw the scene before them, they were shocked. Lily looked up to them silently, her eyes asking for help. James reached out carefully to the cloaked figure lying in his wife's arms and turned him gently around on his back.
Harry then let out a sharp gasp when he recognized the young man as none other than his best friend. "Draco!" he called in alarm, quickly crouching down to see him better.
Lupin moved past them and locked the door, putting the wards back up, while James helped a shaking Lily get up on her feet.
Harry started shaking Draco's body gently, but he didn't wake. "What's wrong? Draco, wake up! Tell me what happened!"
"Harry..." Lily said, looking down at the boy lying on the floor. She put a calming hand on her son's shoulder. "He fainted. He can't hear you. He'll be all right; we'll take care of him." Harry shook his head, unable to believe what just happened.
"Let's move him to the living room," James suggested and then scooped Draco in his arms and walked into the living room with Harry, Lily and Remus following him silently. He gently put him down sprawled on the couch.
"I'll go get some potions," Lily said and went upstairs.
"Should I..." Remus began, looking nervous. "Should I contact someone? The Order? Dumbledore? The Ministry, perhaps?"
James looked around at him and nodded, "I think it's safe to tell Dumbledore first," he said. Remus nodded back and went to use the fireplace and Flooed to Hogwarts.
Harry sat in the closest chair to the couch and kept his eyes locked on Draco's unconscious figure. He looked bad, Harry observed; he looked like he just got out of a fight. Harry then remembered the last time he saw Draco before he came back home. Draco acted so mysteriously, like he knew something was going to happen to him, Harry thought. He started to drum his fingers on the armrest nervously without even noticing he was doing so, when a dreadful thought entered his mind. Harry gulped with difficulty as he went over it in his head. Could it be that he met his father and fought with him? But how was that possible? He thought that the Ministry placed Aurors guarding all around Malfoy Manor. How could Lucius Malfoy passed by them without being seen?
Harry kept watching his friend quietly when his mother entered the room. She walked over to the couch and crouched down next to Draco, opening the cork of one of the potion vials she brought. She poured two drops into Draco's mouth and then with her wand she began to heal his injuries. The deep, bloody gash on his cheek began to close slowly, but leaving a faint white, thin linear scar where it had been. The natural color was back on his face in seconds. Lily gingerly cleaned the blood from his face with a wet cloth. Draco then stirred and flinched at the touch and let out a low, pained moan. Suddenly, his eyes popped open. As he sat up in a swift move, Lily moved a step back to give him space, but Harry moved forward to the edge of his seat anxiously. He watched as Draco's eyes took in his surroundings, gazing fearfully at Harry's parents, and then he seemed to relax when he spotted Harry. He heaved out a sigh and raised his hand to his forehead as though he was experiencing vertigo. "Where... am I?" he asked softly.
"You don't remember?" Harry asked, gulping. He needed to sound calm right now. "You showed up at my house a few minutes ago, Draco. You were all cut up."
Draco turned to look at him, after looking embarrassed at Harry's parents. "I did?" he asked confusedly. "I... I don't know what... I can't remember..." his voice trailed off, but then he realized something. "But I'm not hurt."
"Well, no," Lily quickly answered, before Harry even had the chance to speak. She looked at him with a small, sweet smile on her face to make sure he won't be intimidated by her and James' presence. "I healed your cuts and bruises. You collapsed on our doorstep." When he just looked at her even more puzzled than before, unable to remember any of this, she spoke again. "Draco, you do know who we are, right?"
"You're Harry's parents," he looked at Harry when he said his name and then back at Lily. She nodded, but then he looked over her shoulder and added, "And you're Sirius Black."
Lily, James and Harry turned around to look at Sirius. With all honesty, they forgot he was there. He never been this quiet before, it was so uncharacteristically of him. Harry frowned when he saw Sirius. His face was white as a shell and he looked frightened and angry at the same time. James walked over to him and led him into the kitchen, where no one could hear their conversation.
Harry and Lily turned back to Draco, who was now looking at his hands on his lap. "Draco," Lily went on as if nothing interrupted them. He didn't look up at her. "I know everything is really confusing at the moment, but I need you to try and remember what happened tonight before you came here, okay? Can you remember who hurt you?"
Draco seemed to think about it for a long moment before he shook his head. He kept looking down at his hands and didn't say a word.
Harry started to really worry now. This Draco in front of him was so unlike the Draco he once knew, the Draco he met on the train when he first came to Hogwarts. This person was closed up, quiet, shy and gloomy. The Draco he knew was cunning, mischievous, fun and cheerful. It was like the person in front of his was someone he never had met before.
"Draco," he said, catching his attention, "Was it your father? Did he do this? Did you meet him? We need you to remember anything you can so we could help you!"
With every question Harry threw at him, Draco just shook his head more forcefully than before.
Lily put a hand on Harry's shoulder to make him see he was pressuring his friend too much and that he needed to calm down. She then asked calmly, "And what about your mother, Draco?"
This seemed to break him. "I DON'T KNOW!" he yelled and buried his face in his hands.
At the shout, James came back from the kitchen, now without Sirius, and stood at the entrance to the living room and looked uncomfortably at Lily, who looked back at him with the same expression. Harry moved to sit next to Draco, who still didn't look up at any of them, but he didn't know how he should act around him. He never had to do this before, but it seemed like the right thing to do. He tried to put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, but Draco sensed it and jerked away before Harry could touch him. Harry was only trying to be sympathetic toward his best friend, but he wasn't offended by his reticence. On the contrary, he understood completely why he acted that way. Even if he tried to help, it seemed like Draco wasn't asking for it, so Harry let him be and just sat by him to keep him company.
The fire in the hearth roared and the flames turned bright green when Lupin came back with Professor Dumbledore, who had a serious expression on his face, but greeted them as happily as he could. Lily asked from Harry to keep an eye on Draco and make him feel at home when the four adults left to the kitchen to discuss the matter.
The two boys who were left alone in the living room did not exchange a word with one another for a while. Harry tried to offer him some of his mum's cupcakes, and even pointed out that this time they tasted good (this made Draco let out a small chuckle, to Harry's delight), but the guest only accepted a cup of tea.
So when Harry entered the kitchen to bring him the tea, he felt as though he was invisible with the group of adults sat around the table and had a very heated conversation. Harry noticed that Sirius was missing and wondered where he went off to. He walked to the counter when he spotted a steaming teapot and poured it into two cups, not wanting the others to think he was eavesdropping on their conversation. Even though, Harry couldn't help but hearing what they were saying.
"He says he can't remember anything that happened. He doesn't know where his mother is or who attacked him," Lily said, explaining to Dumbledore.
"We don't know how he even got here," James added. "But Sirius is not happy with his presence. He's worried he would help give him to the Death Eaters!"
"He's only a boy, James," Lily argued, looking crossed. "You can't really believe –"
"But his father is Lucius Malfoy, Lil."
"Exactly! What if he had attacked him? Draco probably escaped from him and came here; to the only person he trusts the most."
"How did he come here?" James retorted.
"Maybe he Apparated?" Remus suggested. "Or flew? Or maybe he even walked. It could be possible; he did collapse when he arrived, and looked quite exhausted."
James didn't want to accept that. "How did he even know where we live?" he countered.
"Why don't you ask Harry?" Remus replied, gesturing at Harry, who was trying to dash from the room as quickly and silently as he could with a tray of two steaming tea cups in his hands.
"Harry?"
Harry stopped when his parents called him in unison. He tried to look as innocent as he could and hoped they didn't realize he heard almost everything.
"Yes?" he asked.
"We need to know exactly what you told Draco about our situation," James said him, looking closely at him with prying eyes.
"Erm –" Harry tried to find the right words to say, but his father didn't give him the chance.
"Harry!" James scoffed and Harry looked guiltily at the floor.
"He's my best friend, of course I'd told him everything, but I trust my friends and if you don't, then that's your problem."
Lily looked down at the table with disappointment she didn't want to show to her son and James looked really livid, his face was turning red. "Did you tell your friends about Sirius?"
"I'm sorry! –"
"You're sorry?" James hissed, not wanting to shout so Draco could hear them. "You realize how scared and angry you got Sirius? What if they told their parents? What if that information reaches a Death Eater's ears? You do realize that Draco's father is one and that he's after all of us with a group of escaped Death Eaters, right?"
Harry didn't say anything. Whatever he could say to excuse himself would only make matters worse. He didn't realize how this could be a mistake until now. Now Sirius must be really upset with him.
"James, that's enough," Lily said quietly. "Harry, you can go back to the living room. We'll talk about it later. You can tell Draco that he's staying with us tonight."
Harry nodded but stopped when James called, "What?" in outrage.
"He doesn't have a place to go right now, James. Now is not the time to argue about that. We can't kick him out, it's freezing outside! Where will he sleep?" she said, her tone was hard, same as her look, showing him that he didn't have a choice but to agree with her.
"I agree, James," Dumbledore spoke for the first time since Harry entered the kitchen. "I don't think Draco will be any danger to any of you. However, I think we should help him to remember what happened tonight. It will help us all to understand better and see where we stand."
"How are you going to make him remember?" Remus questioned.
Harry looked interested at his Headmaster.
"He may be blocking it all out of his consciousness, but it's still all there, I'm positive," Dumbledore said. "I can perform Legilimency on him and take the hidden memories to observe them more closely in my Pensieve."
Dumbledore pushed his chair back, stood up and walked out of the kitchen and back into the living room. Everyone followed and saw that Draco was now standing by the window, watching the snow outside. Harry put the tray of tea he still held on the coffee table and watched as Dumbledore explained to Draco what he was going to do. He calmed him down and said that it wouldn't hurt and that he had nothing to be afraid of.
Draco agreed and looked into Dumbledore's eyes. Harry watched silently as Dumbledore searched Draco's mind for the happenings of earlier that night. He gave no indication that he found something as he broke the connection. He simply thanked Draco and walked over to the fireplace.
"I shall look at it in my office and let you know what I witnessed," he said as he threw a bit of Floo Powder into the fire. "Until tomorrow then, have a Happy Christmas!" And with that, he entered the green flames and Flooed back to Hogwarts.
Harry stifled back a yawn. This night was much longer than he expected it to be. He wasn't in the mood for tea anymore, and he was sure Draco felt the same. He was also anxious to get to bed and avoid the talk his parents were about to give him. I really messed up this time, he thought, especially with Sirius. He only hoped his godfather would forgive him for this.
After Dumbledore left, there was an uncomfortable silence in the room and tension filled the air. Lily was the one who dared to speak first. "Draco, we decided to let you stay tonight at our house. You can stay with Harry in his room, if you'd like. We'll set there a bed for you. There's plenty of room for both of you." Draco nodded gratefully and smiled for the first time that night. Lily then turned to Harry. "Harry, can you show Draco where the bathroom is? I'm sure he wants to get freshened up before going to bed. When you're finished, come down and we'll have a talk."
Harry's face fell at her last words, but he only nodded and gestured to Draco to follow him upstairs. He showed him his room and where the bathroom was and gave him a pair of his old pajamas that looked like they would fit him that he could change into and handed him a towel so he could take a shower. When he was alone and Draco was in the bathroom, he went back downstairs and saw his parents were already waiting for him in the living room. Remus was missing, and Harry guessed he headed to bed.
Their talk did not go well, as Harry expected. He got grounded again, but because Draco was staying with them for awhile, or at least until they saw what Dumbledore has to say, he would have it at the summer holidays instead.
Before Harry went back upstairs, he dared to ask where Sirius went. James explained that he felt it was too dangerous for him to be here when Draco was around so he chose to leave for the time being. Harry hated himself at that moment. He felt as though he made Sirius go away. He knew he must be disappointed in him, but he hoped that he wouldn't be gone for long and the eventually he would forgive him.
He went back to his room with a heavy feeling in his chest that he couldn't shake off. Lily came up after him to help make a bed for Draco and then went to sleep, bidding a small, "Goodnight" before she went. The small gesture made Harry feel slightly better, because it showed him that she wasn't as angry with him as his father and Sirius probably were.
The boys went to sleep that night after a small chat about anything but what happened that night, and soon Harry was soundly asleep, not knowing that the boy next to him was unable to close his eyes.
It was the middle of the night when a loud yell broke the silence in the house. The first person to jerk awake was Harry, who felt his heart beat so fast and though that it might burst out from his chest from the force. He blindly searched for the light switch of the lamp on his nightstand and turned on the light in his dark bedroom and then put his glasses on his face so he could see clearly, even then his sight was still blurry from sleep. He glanced quickly at the clock on his wall and saw it was barely after three in the morning.
He saw Draco sitting up in bed and breathing hard. His face was very pale and his forehead was covered with beads of cold sweat. He was shaking his head forcefully and he pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes.
"I'll kill him... I swear I'll kill him..." he whispered as he began to rock back and forth on the bed.
"Draco, what happened?" Harry asked agitatedly, but Draco kept shaking his head and whispered, 'I'll kill him.'
The door to the room burst open and Harry looked up to see his parents and Remus all standing at the doorway with their wands out.
"What happened?" James asked as he saw that the two boys were okay. He then noticed Draco's behavior and looked questioningly at Harry.
"Nothing," he answered. "He just had a bad dream, is all."
Draco, however, groaned with seething rage. "It was NOT a dream!" he said firmly. "It was real. I saw it happened. I saw him kill her!"
Everyone looked alarmed at his words and Lily quickly came over and sat next to him and put a comforting hand on his back, but just like earlier that night, he jerked his body away and Lily pulled her hand back. "Don't touch me!" he growled.
"Draco, what are you talking about?" Lily asked warily instead.
"Tonight... I remembered what happened tonight. He entered the house. Somehow he passed the Aurors and he entered. He sought her out and they got into this row. I was in my room when I heard shouting and I came downstairs when it happened. He wouldn't stop with the Cruciatus until she stopped screaming and lay still... He used it at his own wife... I just can't get the picture out of my head...my mother...dead on the floor." Draco began to sob and shake as tears leaked down from the corners of his eyes.
It seemed like someone had cast a silencing charm around the room. No one dared to speak. The only thing that could be heard was the blowing wind outside and Draco's sobs.
"He then turned around and saw me," Draco went on, fighting to speak with an aching throat. "I pulled out my wand to defend myself and all I could think of was that I wanted him to pay for what he's done to her. I wanted him dead. So I started to throw curses at him and he fought back easily. Then the Aurors outside must have heard the racket around the house, and they ran inside. He then threw one last curse at me. I tried to escape from it, it barely hit me and luckily, all I got was a cut on my face. It stung so bad that the last thing I remember before fainting was him Disapparating.
"I woke up several minutes later and the Aurors were gone. No one was around. I don't know if they were killed or kidnapped by Death Eaters or they went to get help. I guess they thought I was dead so they left me there.
"The only thing I wanted then was someone to help me. Harry always said that if I needed something I can come to him. And without knowing it, I was at your doorstep a second later. I think I Apparated without realizing it." He paused to exhale deeply. "And that's what happened tonight."
Yet, no one said a word. Draco looked grimly into space and said in a low voice that Harry never heard him use before, "All I know that he's probably after me now if he knows I'm not dead. He will find out I'm still alive and he will come looking for me to finish what he started, but I'm going to be prepared. I'm not going to back down again. I'm going to make him pay for killing her."
He then pushed the sheets from his body and walked over to the chair he had laid his robes earlier. He pulled his cloak on and fastened it before putting on his shoes.
"Where are you going?" Harry asked.
"Thank you for your hosting, but I must leave before he'll know I'm here and come to get me. I can't let him hurt you. You were so kind to me."
Lily stood up and stopped him. This time when she touched his shoulders, he did not protest being held. "No, Draco, don't leave. You're safe here. He's not going to find you here. You can trust us; we're going to protect you from him and he is going to pay for what he's done, but you going after him or going to hid from him is not the answer. Let us do the job, you don't need to worry. Just sleep here tonight and tomorrow we'll talk with Dumbledore and we'll see what we're going to do. You're safe here tonight."
Harry watched as Draco nodded. "Thank you," he said as he took off his cloak and put it back in place. "But I don't think I'd be able to go back to sleep now."
"Don't worry. I've got some Dreamless Potion that will help you," she said, smiling kindly at him.
He sat back on the bed as she left the room to get the potion and he kicked off his shoes. Harry smiled slightly as he realized how significantly his parents changed their mind towards his friend in one night.
Lily came back with the potion and Draco took a mouthful sip of it and lay back in bed. Harry did the same without saying anything to the three adults and went back to sleep. Lily, James and Remus left the room after turning off the light. And the rest of the night passed by quietly for all the inhabitants of the house.
The next day, Harry woke up to find Draco's bed empty. Fearing something happened or that he left at night, Harry jumped out of bed and ran downstairs to alert his parents of his friend's absence. As he burst into the kitchen, he saw that Draco was enjoying talking to his mother in a light conversation while his dad was reading the morning's paper. Remus was mysteriously absent from the room and Sirius... well, Harry hadn't seen him since the night before.
"Harry, is something the matter?" Lily asked with a concerned voice. Draco looked up from his cereal bowl with a slight smile on his face as a greeting, but Harry only sighed in relief now seeing his friend was okay.
"No, why'd you think something wrong?" he replied coolly, joining them at the table.
"Oh, no reason really," James said innocently, folding the paper and having a sip off his coffee. "You just ran here like there's a hippogriff running wild around the house and lost your glasses on the way."
Lily smiled and Draco choked on his cereal at the comment when Harry realized he was indeed without his glasses on. He was in so much hurry to let his parents know that Draco was missing that he forgot to put them on so he could see clearly.
Feeling stupid, Harry pushed back his chair and went back up the stairs to his room to grab his glasses and brush his teeth, which was another small thing he forgot to do earlier.
He was back in the kitchen a minute later, catching a smirk on Draco's face when he realized his mother has changed the topic of her conversation with Draco. "He's always been like that," she said. "He was still wetting the bed until he was –"
"Mum! Shut up!" Harry called before she could finish that sentence. She blushed and got up from her seat, clearing her dishes from the table as Harry sat back down at the table and poured himself some orange juice.
"Aw, come on! I want to know until what age you –"
"No! You don't!" Harry threatened through gritted teeth.
"I'll tell you later," Lily said lightly, as she left the kitchen. "Oh, I have plenty of those. You should see his baby album, too."
"That's it! You're not my mother anymore!" Harry called back at her.
James sniggered as he too left the room after her.
"Oh, shut up. I wonder where she got it from," Harry said to him, but James simply raised an eyebrow at him and then he disappeared behind the kitchen door.
Harry buried his face in his hands and groaned loudly. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm adopted..." he mumbled.
"Tell me about it," Draco said in sympathy.
They had their breakfast while they looked over the paper. There weren't any news about what happened last night at the Malfoy Manor. No report of any deaths (not of Aurors and nor of Narcissa Malfoy's), or sightings of Death Eaters. It was like it never happened. Harry started to wonder if Dumbledore had anything to do with it. Maybe he tried to hush it up and asked the papers not to publish anything about it? But then he remembered his parents probably haven't yet had the chance to contact him regarding what Draco confessed to them from last night.
As if they read his thoughts, James and Lily entered the kitchen again, but now dressed with their cloaks on, ready to leave.
"We're going to meet Remus and Dumbledore at the Ministry," his father explained to the two boys. "We're going to see what happened with Peter and then we'll discuss with the Minister concerning your father, Draco."
Draco nodded.
"We're leaving you alone, but you don't need to worry, the wards around the house are secured and no one can get in," Lily said. "But still, I'm warning you two, no flying motorbikes or even broomsticks until we're home. I want to see the house as neat as we left it, and I want to find you both in one piece. I trust you to hold on to that," she added warningly.
"Okay," they both said at the same time. Draco's voice had a light tone in it, which made Harry wonder if he found this all Parents-Care amusing, since he barely got it from his own folks.
"Remember Harry, you still got that detention," James added, but Harry only waved him off. Why do they need to get so all worked-up like that, anyway? We're going to be fine. They'll be back in a few hours and see that everything went fine, Harry mussed and rolled his eyes.
Lily and James then said their goodbyes and Apparated away, leaving the two boys alone in the big, empty house.
"So, what do you want to do?" Harry turned to Draco.
He shrugged. "Dunno. What are you suggesting?"
"Well, the wizard's chess is always a classic choice. I have some of my Zonko's games in my room, and there's the Muggle Television, but I think you'd just find it weird."
"Why? What's that?" Draco inquired.
Harry pushed his chair back and mentioned to Draco to follow him into the living room. He pointed to the large television sitting in the corner of the room. "Well, basically it's a box that runs on electricity. When turned on, it shows people talking and all, like in real life. It's supposed to entertain, but I never really found anything interesting in it. We only got it because Mum insisted."
"Yeah, that sounds a bit boring. So what kind of Zonko's stuff do you have?" Draco asked and a small smile crept on his lips, before the two of them raced up the stairs to Harry's room.
Two hours had passed and they found themselves completely with nothing to do but lie still on their beds and stare at the ceiling. Harry found himself thinking madly of a good way to pass their time, but no matter what he suggested, Draco didn't like it.
Harry sighed as he rolled off his bed and sat on the floor while finding an over-read Quidditch Magazine stuffed under his carpet. He began to scan it, but got quickly bored as he already knew every word by heart.
"Our match against Ravenclaw is the Saturday after returning to school," he said dully, trying to pick up a conversation.
"We'll beat 'em," Draco replied, chewing on his fingernails. "That seeker of theirs, that Chang girl, she has no techniques whatsoever. You've got nothing to worry about."
"You're right," Harry agreed. After another long pause he threw the magazine at Draco, hitting him with it on his chest. The other boy propped up on his elbows and raised an unappreciated eyebrow at him. Without seeing what was coming next, Harry got hit by a large, puffy pillow in the face. Draco merely smirked at him and lied back on the bed, and began to read the magazine Harry threw at him just a second ago.
An idea to entertain himself popped then into the devious side in Harry's mind. With a hidden grin, hr grabbed the pillow tightly in his hands. Draco did not know what hit him when everything went dark and he found it hard to breathe as Harry thrust the pillow hard on his face, laughing jovially as he saw him wrenching about and trying to get the pillow off his face so he could breathe normally, and probably hex him into oblivion.
But then something inside Draco's mind snapped.
In a swift movement, he was holding his wand threateningly right in Harry's face, who had stopped laughing at once.
The pressure of Harry's hands on the pillow softened and he moved it aside as he saw the grim look on Draco's face.
"Someone can't get a joke," he muttered, pushing himself to get up and he turned his back to his friend. However, he could still feel Draco's wand pointing at him. Harry cast a look over his shoulder to meet Draco's angry, red eyes combined in an empty glare. "Can you put that down? Mum will be over my head if she found out we used magic outside school." But Draco only twisted his lips at him in some sort of a growl. "Fine, I'm sorry, is that what you wanted to hear? If I'd know you'll take it that bad, I wouldn't have done it."
When Draco got up of the bed and walked slowly to Harry, his wand aimed right between Harry's eyes, Harry couldn't help but roll them. Draco was overreacting over something so small and meaningless. They used to tease each other like this all the time before.
Harry reached out and pushed his friend's wand down. "I'm not kidding anymore, Draco," he said sharply and turned to the door.
Harry didn't even hear the spell being said. A bright white light was shot at him and he felt himself been thrown back all across his room and pressed to the opposite wall. His all torso ached and suddenly he felt weak. He sniffed and felt blood dripping from his nose but he was too frail to wipe it clean. His head hung down, spotting Draco's feet as he came to stand in front of him. His wand was pressed piercingly to his throat and he managed to gulp and mumble something he hoped his mind will help him get it coherent. "Draco... What's happening?"
His vision became blurry and he felt as if his eyelids were getting too heavy to keep them from closing, but yet he forced them to stay wide open as he pulled his head up.
Draco's wand was still at his throat. "Why are you...doing this?" Harry asked feebly, completely confused. His head was spinning, and his knees trembled hard, barely keeping him up. He was almost sure the earth was shaking and for that he thanked he was pressed to the wall so he couldn't fall. He was trying to get everything to focus and just stop turning, but his mind wasn't functioning according to his needs.
"Someone needs to finish the job," Draco hissed.
A sharp, hot pain shot through Harry's forehead. He was hearing himself screaming in agony, and he couldn't escape for the pain to stop his screams. He was sure his head had burst open and that bleeding scars began to cover his skin as he couldn't stand the stinging any longer and he shut his eyes tightly.
Then it all stopped, and his eyes watered like a waterfall.
"Funny how naïve and trustful one can get around their best friend," Draco said proudly. "They share their deepest secrets with him, tell him everything they know and can't tell anyone else. You're a fool, Potter. You knew my father is a Death Eater and yet you still told me everything you needed to hide and let me inside your home." He huffed with a mock amusement. "You bought the story, this show I made up. See, it was suppose to be just you all along. You're the one who stood in his way to greatness, but that Black had to go and ruin it, didn't he? And like I didn't realize he was staying outside in the dog's kennel! The poor fellow. Treating him worse than a dog should be treated. Well, I guess it was his choice, wasn't it? Ran away to hide like a scared chicken when it sees a fox getting close. No worries, he too will be dead after I'll finish here with you."
"Draco," Harry whispered desperately, his mind still reeling, "Please... please don't. It's not like you. I know it's not you. You wouldn't do that to me..." He could feel the charm starting to wear off, but he was still tied to the wall, unable to move away, where Draco was leaning over him.
"You don't know what you're talking about!" he snarled. "Of course it's me. It's been me all this time. You see, I was the one who stole your cloak. That day at Hogsmeade, you left me alone at the castle where it was just you and Blaise going down to the village. After you were gone, I took the cloak and left Hogwarts as well. I saw Blaise talking to Pansy and he was completely unaware of his surroundings so I made him dropped the fireworks bag and when he didn't see, I took one. Then I went to meet Father at the Hog's Head. The letter I was reading that morning was actually from him, not my mother, like I told you. When we met, we started to go over and preformed this little plan I just pulled off here.
"He first told me we needed to leave a sign that we were getting stronger. Remember that night, the firework the teachers accused you that it was the Dark Mark that you sent? Remember going into our dormitory and asking me why I was sneaking out? You were a fool not to see that I wasn't sneaking out, but was actually sneaking back inside, after setting that firework off. Your trunk was so messed up from where I searched for the cloak. You were so close to find out what I did that night. You first thought that I took the cloak, but then you dropped it when you saw it was still there and believed when I said I searched for a quill and ink to write a letter to my mother, which was a brilliant excuse, I think. You never suspected a thing. You bought every word.
"Anyway, that day at the Hog's Head, Father told me everything I needed to do to gain your trust at me to get me into your house without any problems. Then, when the moment's right, I'll kill you and the task he set to himself fifteen years ago will finally be over. See, he promised that when I'll manage it all, I'll finally have the Mark and follow his lead.
"Oh, and thanks by the way for giving me the idea to use the Confundus Charm in order to kill you. I expect you won't feel much since you're under the charm, so they couldn't blame me I tortured you much before you died," Draco said in a voice so unlike his own. He raised his wand higher.
"Draco, please!" Harry begged.
How could this be possible? How could his best friend in the world betray him like that? How could he even pretend to be his friend when all he was planning to do from the very start was to kill him? Harry felt so foolish. Draco was the reason Harry had become a Slytherin. On the short train ride in their first year Harry had come to know this boy, this boy that he was so sure he knew so well by now. And now, after hearing Draco's confession, he knew that he wasn't a true Slytherin at all. In was all because of a mind wrap. Draco had made him see this different side of him, the side the sorting hat had seen that night that made it put him in Slytherin, that made it so sure he was truly belong there. Back then, Harry remembered, he wished to himself to be at the same house as was the friend he made on the train and his wish was granted and he couldn't be any more thankful that night. All the other reasons why he could have gotten into Slytherin were pushed aside at this moment. What was happening now was all Harry could think about.
"One final wish, Harry, my mate?" he said sarcastically.
Harry gulped hard, "No... Please don –"
Draco cut in, "No final wish? Fine then." He smiled crookedly. "Avada –"
Right then a loud crack sound was heard as the door burst down and slammed to the floor. "Stupefy!" someone shouted and Harry felt Draco fall to the floor with a loud thud sound. The effects of his spells were fading as the seconds ticked by and he too slid slowly and limply to the floor with heavy, aching body.
He opened his eyes briefly when he felt a soft hand caress his cheek. He looked up to meet his mother's eyes. He was quite tired and he didn't protest when he was overtaken by darkness as he fainted from exhaustion.
He woke hours later to hear a loud conversation coming from the bottom floor of the house. He found himself tucked safely in his bed. It was now the late hours of the evening and the skies outside had already turned a navy blue shade.
Harry pulled the covered off his body and searched around for his glasses before getting down the stairs. The day's events were still quite fresh in his mind and he wondered what had happened since that morning.
He never expected to find the entire Order in his house, including Dumbledore, Snape and the elder Weasleys. Sirius was there, too, and when he spotted him at the bottom of the stairs looking at all of them with an uncertain look on his face, he marched over at him. Harry prepared himself to be hexed or slapped or anything really. He deserved that, after all. He let down Sirius, his parents and well, the entire of the Order of the Phoenix. When he felt Sirius arms wrapped around him he winched at first, but after his mind registered that he was being hugged he started to melt and his heart bit faster. "I'm so glad you're okay," Sirius said into Harry's hair, and Harry couldn't restrain himself from smiling and hugging him back.
Harry pulled back and looked up at his godfather, catching him wiping away a tear. "Aren't you mad?" he asked quietly.
"No, I'm not mad."
"But you should be. I... I –"
"Harry, I know you didn't mean it. I'm fine. You're fine. We're all fine. That's what matters." He put a loving hand on his head and Harry nodded in agreement.
"Harry, come here please," Lily called from the living room. Harry walked over to his mother, knowing she was about to tell him what happened to Draco. She cupped his face in her hands and he didn't even have the time to feel embarrassed by her motherly actions around everyone else. "I'm so relieved we had gotten here just in time. I don't know what I would be doing right now if we were even a minute late."
"Harry," James added, catching his son's attention. "Draco wasn't a Death Eater, nor was he about to become one."
Harry's eyes went wide. "He was not?"
"No, Harry. He was under the Imperius Curse."
"He what?"
James and Lily nodded. "This morning when we came to Dumbledore to discuss what he had seen in Draco's mind, he said there were big holes there. It was like Draco had lived his life, trying to fight off the Curse, but when it was forced upon him on different occasions, he had become a different person. The times when the Curse took place over his mind had left those holes in his memories. We were wondering if you'd know if he ever acted strangely, like he was shut out or anything of the sort."
Harry nodded. "He did. He once became so clam that it made me feel angry that he could be so peaceful at a time when stressful things had occurred. And there were a few times when he just closed himself at us and the next day, if now a few hours later, he was like his old self again. I thought it was strange, but I would never imagine he was under the Imperius! I thought he was just having a phase; that he was worried about his mother's health and his father's actions, and he once said he was worried that his father was going to do something to us, so I really couldn't tell if something was actually wrong..."
Harry tried to explain himself the best he could. He knew he wasn't making much sense, but he hoped they still understood what he was saying. "Who... who cast it on him?"
"His father, who else?" James replied. "We suspect it was before the first term began. Lucius must have given him orders of how to act and when to act."
"But that doesn't explain why Draco looked like he was fighting someone when he first arrived here," Harry pointed out.
"We did some investigation around Malfoy Manor. The Aurors that were guarding around are fine. They said they spotted Lucius Malfoy and his Death Eaters group getting in and they started to fight them. The Death Eaters had distracted the Aurors while Malfoy easily entered the house. We suspect he wanted to see his wife to convince her to join him, but she refused so he had no choice but fight her. He tortured her until she lost all strength, but she did not die like Draco thought. When he showed up and saw her not moving he thought he had killed her and went to fight his father. Lucius, of course, needed to dash before the Aurors got extra help, so he quickly fought off Draco and Disapparated along with his Death Eaters. The moment when Draco woke up and found no one was around was the moment the Aurors went to call for help and search for the Death Eaters. He was gone before the appeared again. They only found Narcissa and took her to the hospital. It really did all happen and we didn't hear about it until a few hours ago."
"And where's Draco now?" Harry asked.
"He was taken to the Ministry for an inquiry. They took the Imperius Curse off him and last we heard they said he was cooperative, but he said he can't remember a thing when he was under the Imperius. He spoke under Veritaserum so they'd know if he was lying to them or not. They promised they will take him to St. Mungo's to make sure there isn't any brain damage and if everything is well, he will be released home and can go visit his mother. He will be back to Hogwarts when the Holidays are over."
"Home to where? He doesn't have a home! He can't go back to that place, not when his father can go back there!" Harry called worriedly.
"Well, actually, Harry," Dumbledore said for the first time that night. "Lucius Malfoy and his escaped Death Eaters had been spotted not too far from here two hours ago. They'd been ambushed until they were captured and sure enough a trail will be held against all them tomorrow morning, despite Christmas. I assure you they will be back to Azkaban where they all belong."
"So everything is alright?" Harry asked, barely believing his ears. "It's all over?"
Everyone smiled and nodded happily. "It's all over."
Harry looked up at his parents and grinned innocently at them. "So..." he said slowly. "About what you said earlier... am I still grounded? Because I think I definitely need a little treat after being almost killed and all that..."
"Well, we'll let you know, but for now, don't push it," James said lowly.
Harry rolled his eyes but still let out a small laugh. It was still Christmas time after all.
A/N: For those who might wonder- no, the story is not over yet. We still have a few more things to solve around here, and a few surprises will pop along the way.
I'm just sorry this chapter had come so late. My Beta had some internet problems and I was really stuck writing the scene with Draco's confession. It was the most important scene I've been waited over a year to write and when I finally come to write it down, I couldn't find the words. And still, it's not perfect but yet it's satisfying. But don't think that I did nothing while I was stuck with this scene, I started writing one of the most important (if not THE MOST important!) scene of the next chapter or the story in general. I can't wait for you to read it and just hope you'll like it.
The next post will probably take more than a month (note that I warned you), but don't lose your hopes because this story will sometime in the future be finished (hopefully before July 21 when the series of books finally ends). Hope you liked this chapter! Don't forget to review it!