The door opened into mirrors. Rows and walls and windows of mirrors. Draco had expected it, but the sheer number of them was still something of a shock, or perhaps he was finding it difficult to think at all after Harry's kiss and strangely moving declarations. Honestly, Draco hadn't felt so giddy since his seventh Christmas, when he'd opened a particularly long package to find his first broom within.
Pull yourself together, Draco, honestly, he thought with a mental shake and a tightening grip on his wand. He needed to concentrate because Chang was not a pushover. She had brought them here for a reason.
"Granger?" he called loudly, hoping against hope that the former Gryffindor had managed to take out Chang on her own. It wouldn't have been that surprising, after all, even though Draco would be the last to admit that he thought Granger capable of such a feat.
"Hermione!" Harry added, lifting his wand and casting a Light Spell to brighten the area around them. The mirrors nearby reflected his light and sent their own images back at them sevenfold.
There was no response, so they walked carefully into the room, weaving between the mirrors. Most of them were self-standing, some on huge frames reminiscent of the ancient mirrors separating vast walls in Malfoy Manor, whilst others were shorter and two-sided, swivelling on pivot points rather like the lever platforms in the room they'd just left. Others simply floated in place, taller than Weasley, and each of the larger ones were separated by smaller mirrors, from handheld bits of floating silver to long curtains of Galleon-sized glass held together with strands of chain.
Most of them perfectly reflected their own images, but some were distorted; one gave them all demonic visages. Draco's own face, albeit with horns and fangs, snarled back at him when he met the cold, red stare. He shuddered and moved quickly past. Another puffed his face into a balloon-caricature, showing what he would have looked like if he'd been stung by a nest of bees. Weasley snorted at that one and Pansy muttered, "Merlin, that needs smashing."
Some of them showed no reflection at all, but instead held swirling, dark mists, a bright crystalline glow, or nothingness so complete that it caused them all to stop and stare for long minutes. Harry reached out as if to touch the glass and Draco caught his fingers with a gentle squeeze. He shook his head in warning.
"This place gives me the creeps." Weasley's voice confirmed what Draco felt, especially when looking into the flat mirror of nothing. "We should just smash our way through." He lifted his wand and Draco gasped as he leapt forwards to wrestle his arm down.
"Bloody hell, Weasley, are you mad? There is no telling what you might unleash doing that. Some of these are not mirrors, but doorways. Mirrors have tricky magic even in their simplest form. They never reflect reality. Not ever."
"That doesn't make sense."
"Of course it does. Look there, at your own image." Draco gestured at a mirror that seemed to show a normal reflection. "When you look at yourself, the image is reversed, the opposite of what everyone else sees. So, which is real?"
Weasley's look of horror might have amused him at another, less urgent, time.
"That's very philosophical of you, Draco. But then, I never thought of you as stupid." The voice belonged to Cho Chang and they all froze and turned towards the sound. Draco skirted a number of mirrors, wending through the maze with the others on his heels. He stopped when he reached an open area and spotted Hermione Granger's reflection. She had been strapped to a mirror, tightly bound with ropes both magical and ordinary. A tight gag covered her mouth.
Weasley tried to rush forwards with a cry, but Harry held him back. "It's just a reflection, Ron, look." Harry was correct; Granger appeared in eight different mirrors, some close, some more distant. Finding her in reality would not be easy with reflections upon reflections beckoning them falsely.
"Why did you lure us here?" Draco called. Chang had to be in the room somewhere, but she did not appear in any of the mirrors. Tricky, that. Draco leaned closer to Harry. "Get your cloak out. Stand between Weasley and I and put it on."
Harry did not argue, and within moments he was invisible. Draco hoped it would even the odds.
"I was hoping you wouldn't make it through the Lever Room. I modified the floor to send you somewhere special. You would never have been found and that would have made things so much simpler."
"Why are you doing this?" Weasley yelled. "What do you hope to gain from all of this?"
"The same thing I have always gained, Ronald. Power. Do you think I could have reached the position I now hold without clawing and fighting my way up? Do you think any woman can get ahead without playing dirty and stacking the odds in her favour?"
"Hermione did," Weasley muttered, but he thankfully had enough wisdom not to point that out to Chang. Not with Granger in likely range of Chang's wand.
"I'm going to find her," Harry murmured and then he pressed against Draco's back for a moment and was gone.
"You were supposed to come alone, Draco. Why did you have to bring the others? You've made things difficult. You always make things so difficult. I should have killed you instead of leaving you to Crabbe."
Draco walked onwards, heading towards one of the reflections of Granger. He peered carefully around the edges of the hanging mirrors, ready for anything. Chang wouldn't have lured them inside without a plot in mind.
"Virgil was a trifle over-obvious and eager. I am surprised you used him, frankly. You should have known his hatred of me would make him sloppy."
"Indeed. I admit I was mistaken in thinking he would finish you." The voice came from a different side of the room and Draco's head swivelled that way. He frowned. Either she was moving or she had used a spell to throw her voice.
"Stay together," Draco ordered in a low tone. "Weasley, figure out what the hell she wants. Why did she bring us here? She wants us all dead or out of commission, so unravel her plan."
Weasley bumped into Pansy, who nearly knocked over Draco. "Oh bloody hell," Weasley said just as Draco figured it out. He swore.
"Pansy, get back to the door and try to keep her from leaving. From the outside."
"She means to smash all the mirrors." Weasley sounded somewhat panicked.
Draco agreed. "She'll claim it was an accident and concoct some ridiculous reason for us all to be in here. At the moment, she's in with us, so she needs to get out. She knows we won't leave without Granger."
"I will," Pansy said, already moving back the way they'd come. Draco lost sight of her and could only hope she could locate the exit. Meanwhile, Weasley was blundering in the opposite direction.
"Hermione!" he yelled.
Draco hurried after him. "Oh for Salazar's sake, Weasley, stop and think a moment."
"We might not have a moment," Weasley growled and pushed past a curtain of hanging mirrored strips. It clanked noisily.
Draco stopped as something else occurred to him. Harry didn't know. He was blundering around in the dark, unaware of the danger. And Draco had no way of finding him with the cloak on. "Shit. Shit! We have to stop her before she can trigger it. Weasley, you find Granger. I'll go after Chang."
"Right," Weasley called and pushed on, racing to one reflection only to turn and go after another.
Draco turned back, using familiar mirrors as landmarks and moving as quickly as possible. The sound of a smashing mirror froze him in mid-step and he waited tensely, expecting a chain-reaction, but he heard nothing more. Despite that, he turned in a slow circle, alert for anything, scarcely daring to breathe. Had Harry broken a mirror, or had Chang? And if Chang, what had she unleashed?
He dodged a mirror that grew clawed hands from the frame and groped at him. Another gave him a fleeting glimpse of something so beautiful that he turned back, and then closed his eyes with sheer willpower. Only by biting his lip hard enough to draw blood did he shake the desire; once away, he knew he would have stood there for the rest of his life, admiring the deadly view.
Another mirror shattered. It was close—too close—and Draco broke into a run as a cold sweat erupted over his skin. He had to be nearing the door. He remembered the huge mirror with the silver frame. Just as he spotted it, a shadow moved and then a pale face came into view.
"Enjoy your reflections, Malfoy!" Chang said and then threw open the door. She cast a spell as Draco dove for her, and then the door slammed shut. She was gone. Her spell crashed into the nearest mirror and sent glass shards raining down over Draco's back. He winced as a sliver nicked him in the neck.
"Harry!" he screamed as a second mirror, and then a third, exploded.
"Draco! Merlin, I nearly had her! Protego!" And Harry was there, gathering him into his arms and casting his amazing Shield Charm. Despite his relief, Draco knew it wouldn't protect them for long. "Ron!"
There was no reply beyond the shattering of glass and Harry cast a sudden and blinding Light Spell, bright enough to set the entire room gleaming when it was reflected a hundredfold. His timing was fortuitous, as something dark and slithery was reaching for them with gleaming claws—the light caused it to shriek with an otherworldly wail before it shrivelled away.
"What the fuck was that?"
"I don't know, Potter, but there are probably worse things in here now. We need to get the hell out!"
"Not without Ron and Hermione. You should go, though." Despite his words, Harry's grip on Draco's shoulders didn't falter, and Draco clung to him with finality. If this was to be their final destination, then so be it.
"Ron! Damn it, where are you!"
"Here!" The voice was Granger's, and an answering glow of light emitted from the centre-right portion of the room. "There is something in the way! It has tentacles!" Several loud bangs followed, echoing the sound of more mirrors shattering.
"We have to go and help them!"
"How did I know you would say that?" Draco groaned, but he turned with Harry and they hurried through shards of smashed glass, attacking everything that moved with whatever spells seemed to work. There were mists and ropes and, at one point, a bloody metal claw rising up from a shard of mirror to impale Draco's foot.
"I am going to kill that woman slowly and with relish," Draco snarled as he stumbled along after Harry, bleeding and wincing with every step. "Pickle relish. Or perhaps mango chutney. It would go down well with her liver."
"Draco, stop. You need not turn cannibal—Ron! Bloody hell, you're a sight! Hermione!" Granger threw herself at Harry and clung, nearly dislodging Draco, who held more tightly, refusing to be dislodged. He and Granger exchanged pointed stares.
"Sorry, I had no idea not to trust Cho. Protego! Godric, we need to get out of here!" Something large and fanged rebounded from Granger's hastily-cast Shield Charm.
"Was that a dragon?" Weasley shrieked. His skin was a vibrant shade of orange and his hair was—gone.
"Wyvern, I think," Granger said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Another mirror blew up and they all cast simultaneous shields. Glass fell around them like glitter.
"Let's get back to the door before we all die."
"Good plan!" Weasley's voice was in the falsetto range and Draco wondered if it was permanent. Now was not the time to bask in another's ill fortune, however, especially if the greenish mist creeping towards them was any indication.
"We need to run. Now!" Draco cast the strongest Wind Charm he knew, but it barely slowed the fast-traveling mist. He had the feeling a Shield Charm would be ineffectual.
The others did not need encouragement. They bolted, dodging large mirrored slivers on the floor and ducking out of range of partially destroyed frames. A huge mirror loomed in front of Granger, seemingly self-propelled, and whatever spell she levelled at it shattered it into dust.
"Note to Weasley," Draco said companionably and used a spell to clear a path, unwilling to risk another metal spike though his foot; it throbbed painfully with every step. "Never tie her up. It seems to anger her."
"Ha bloody ha, Malfoy!" Weasley squeaked.
Harry turned and cursed before casting several spells at the encroaching mist. One seemed to dissipate it slightly, but it regrouped and continued to follow.
Granger reached the door and tugged at the handle. "Alohomora!" she yelled. The lock fell to pieces and the portal flew open. They launched themselves through and then Harry slammed it shut. Four wands cast four different sealing charms: the door turned to brick and was edged in solidifying, oozing tar. Two magical glows surrounded it.
"Oh, hey. What kept you lot?"
Draco turned to see Pansy seated cross-legged on the edge of the lever platform. She seemed to be varnishing her nails. Cho Chang sprawled near her feet, unconscious or dead.
Weasley sagged against the wall and then slid down to land on his arse. Harry chuckled and it was a half-wild sound. He pulled Draco into an embrace and held on tightly. He felt solid, warm, and wonderful. Granger dropped to her knees next to Weasley and patted him on the leg.
"Pansy, that shopping trip to Paris I owe you?"
"Yes, darling?"
"I just doubled the funds in your clothing account."
Pansy's grin was enormous. "You're welcome."
oooOooo
In the end, they had to traverse the floating platforms to reach the door, although it was made quicker with the addition of Hermione. Parkinson and Cho remained behind. Once Draco threw open the door, they transfigured a detached wall sconce into a bridge and hauled it into the room for Parkinson to cross. She unceremoniously hauled Cho along by the collar and then dropped her at Harry's feet.
"Can I leave now?"
"You'll need to fill out a statement." Ron's voice had returned to normal, thanks to Hermione, but his skin was still orange and he remained bald as an egg.
"Merlin, how long will that take? I have a shopping trip to plan!"
Moments later, they were overrun with Aurors, called by Harry and Ron's Patronus Charms. Harry handed Cho over to Kay-Kay and Seamus and then watched with satisfaction as they locked her into the same chamber that had held Draco when he'd first marched into the Ministry. Their eyes met and a smile touched Draco's lips.
He sent Seamus back for Eddie and had him taken to Auror holding. Harry watched Eddie stumble past, awake but groggy, bound sturdily with magical bonds. He felt a twinge when their eyes met. Eddie tried to speak, but Harry turned away, trying to hold onto Draco's earlier words. Harry hadn't been in love with Eddie, but it had been a near thing and would have eventually led to his utter devastation, if not for Draco.
As if sensing his thoughts, Draco reached out and squeezed his hand. Harry held tightly for a moment, and then forced himself to get back to the business at hand.
After leaving a group of Aurors with strict orders not to let anyone in or out of the Department of Mysteries, Harry and his friends made their way up the lift to Level One and from there to Kingsley's office.
To his credit, Kingsley barely lifted an eyebrow as he listened to the tale, and then he sent out a rush of memos and demanded that Draco sit down and give him a list of everything he knew, as well as everything he suspected.
"Harry, you should go home."
"Minister, I would formally like to cancel my leave and return to work full-time."
For once, Kingsley looked surprised, and then a huge grin cracked his typically expressionless face. "Then get your arse to Level Two and fill out the damned paperwork. It's nice to have you back, Auror Potter."
"It's nice to be back, Minister." Harry looked at Draco and felt a laugh trying to bubble out of his chest. He knew he was making the right decision and it was brilliant. Draco's eyes gleamed with merriment.
"Auror Weasley, get yourself to the infirmary and see if they can do something about your skin tone, if not your hair. Granger, I'll need your statement."
With one last look at Draco, Harry went out. The boom of Kingsley's continuing orders followed him down the hall.
oOo
The papers went wild with the news, which broke with a special evening edition. Cho Chang was speculated to have been involved in everything from the recent explosion in Diagon Alley (true) to the latest outbreak of Dragon Pox (hopefully false). Harry skimmed the article, glad that someone other than him was in the poisonous limelight of yellow journalism, and then went upstairs and took a hot bath. He felt wrecked. His muscles ached from the journey through the lever room and the battle to escape the mirror. He'd booked an appointment with the Auror Training Room first thing Monday morning to shed the additional flesh he'd acquired whilst lounging in the flat with Eddie. He'd grown far too soft.
He sighed and added a squirt of apple-scented bubbles to the water. At least he'd broken up with Eddie before learning the depths of his duplicity. He counted it as a minor victory amidst the wreckage. It was doubtful that Eddie would spend much time in lockup. They might be able to charge him with conspiracy, but his involvement in Cho's plans seemed to have been minimal, and had largely been for the purpose of keeping an eye on Harry. He wondered if Eddie's attempt to coerce him into leaving the Aurors had been part of Cho's grand plan, or if it had been an added bonus for them, brought about by Harry's doubts.
The sound of footsteps in the hall had him picking up his wand from the edge of the tub, but he put it back down when Draco leaned against the door frame and smiled at him.
"Would you like some company?"
"I bought this extra-large tub for a reason."
Draco pushed away from the door and sauntered closer. Harry was glad he hadn't removed his glasses, instead charming them with Anti-Fog, half-intending to read a book when he'd climbed in. It was so much nicer to admire Draco with visual clarity. "Is that so? And do you entertain frequently, Mr Potter?"
"Only when I find it necessary to interrogate certain criminal types. Do you have anything to confess, Mr Malfoy?"
Draco leaned over the edge of the tub and spoke in a husky voice. "I confess that I want to climb in there and ravish you, Mr Potter."
"Then why aren't you in here yet?"
A bang startled them both and then Parkinson's voice carried from somewhere in the house. "I'm taking this green room!"
"That's why." A smile played at the edges of Draco's lips.
"She's moving in now?"
"It appears that way."
Harry lifted his wand again and cast a Colloportus. The door slammed shut. "Good that I know several Locking Charms then, yeah?"
"Very good," Draco admitted and began to disrobe. Harry watched with approval as he removed and folded each article of clothing before setting it aside.
"You know, that trick you played with the swimming trunks at the Beauvoir's was a dirty one."
"Did you approve? That was the day I finally knew that you wanted me as much as I wanted you. You were so flustered, it was adorable. I was going to kiss you in that gazebo and then take you inside and make love to you in Anton Beauvoir's bedroom."
Harry swallowed, and then remembered the events that had followed. If only things had happened that way, Blaise Zabini would still be alive.
Draco eased into the tub, making a pleased sound as the hot water closed around him. Harry admired every inch as it descended into the bubbles and then Draco pressed against him and captured a kiss. Harry ran his hands down Draco's back and pulled him even closer.
They stopped speaking and allowed hands and mouths to take over communication, petting and stroking, kissing and sucking, until their mutual release spun in the water until whisked away by the filtering charms built into the tub.
Draco rested his head against Harry's shoulder and heaved a great sigh. "Merlin, I needed that."
Harry drifted his fingers through the silken hair at Draco's nape, just below the waterline. "Yeah, I think this should be a vital part of bath time from now on. If Pansy is moving in, does that mean you'll be staying as well?" Harry tried to keep the question casual, but his heart froze up in anticipation of the answer. He'd been serious in the mirror room when he'd told Draco he didn't want him to disappear, but we wasn't certain if Draco's reply had been given in the same spirit.
Draco lifted his head. "Are you asking me to move in?"
"Well, only if- I mean, should you-" Harry pressed his lips together in annoyance at his own stumbling words. "Yes. Yes, I am. Draco Malfoy, I would like it very much if you would move in with me."
oooOooo
Draco's heart did a slow roll into to realm of bliss and he wondered exactly when his admiration for Harry had grown into full-blown puppies and flowers love. Probably the first moment that Harry had gifted him with a genuine smile.
"Are you certain you're willing to put up with me?"
"Well, I'm hoping you don't plan to continue with your illegal activities. No more document forging and potions diluting, and whatever else you get up to. I'm officially an Auror again, you know. And you said you wanted to get out of it. Disappear, you said."
Draco kissed him lingeringly, once again regretting those impulsive words. After Eddie's duplicity, Harry would find it hard to genuinely trust again. Draco planned to work hard to erase his doubts, no matter how long it took.
"I don't plan to disappear. Not without bringing you with me. Helsinki is nice this time of year. The flora is amazing. We should visit. And although I cannot sever ties with my network immediately, I can transfer them to another party for my eventual retirement."
"Another party?"
"I believe Pansy and Gryphon will be willing to take over my business dealings."
Harry groaned. "Merlin, I hope I don't have to arrest them down the line."
Draco chuckled. "I'm sure you will pull every available string to prevent that from happening. Besides, there is still the matter of my list. Crabbe and Rosier might have been the worst, and Chang's plans have been exposed, but there are others out there that Shacklebolt is eager to get his hands on."
"And I've been thinking that you should also start working on Malfoy Manor. Bring it back to what it once was. Before the war. I can help you."
Draco went still for a long moment. He had been toying with the idea off and on, and with Harry beside him to help exorcise his demons, it no longer seemed quite as daunting a task. In lieu of an answer, he squeezed Harry tighter.
"I do have another confession. I had an ulterior motive for wanting you to re-join the Auror Division." Harry tensed in his arms and Draco continued, "Those Auror robes. Every time I see you in them I want to push you up against a wall and fuck you. You look bloody magnificent in them."
Harry relaxed so completely that his head fell back against the edge of the tub and a weak laughed escaped his lips. "You are unbelievable."
"I am perfectly believable. And Harry, rest assured that I will not leave you. Not unless you send me away. I am no Eddie Carmichael."
Harry smiled. "I trust you."
~END~
Thank you for reading, everyone! This one was super fun to write and if you haven't checked out The Blacklist yet, I highly encourage it. :D :D :D *HUGS*